The growth of hope
by ktmae514
Summary: My first fan-fic! Super nervous! Love critiques! Charlie, unable to rescue the Monroe's alone, asks Duncan for help. They eventually make it back to Willoughby. Love triangles. Assassins. Redemption. Forgiveness. Blackmail. Betrayal. Hook ups. Make ups. Switching sides. Relationships tested. A journey far away. Basically, complete chaos, BUT slow burn Charloe. Happy Reading! :)
1. Chapter 1: A Hint of Jealousy

Charlie had made it. She managed to get back to the rendezvous point without any trouble. She sat and waited…and waited…and waited. It had been over an hour. The group had agreed that if they hadn't all met back within 2 hours, something definitely went wrong. She waited a while longer. At the 2 hour mark, they still hadn't returned. Charlie knew something was wrong. She knew that heading back into town was a risk, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Her family couldn't win against the patriots without some extra men, and as much as she hated to admit it, they certainly couldn't win without Monroe.

She began the trek back to town, trying to formulate a plan while she traveled. She didn't have time to go get Miles & Rachel. She needed to act fast. She had no idea what had happened, and she didn't think she'd be able to get close enough to the town (since they all saw her run off with the diamonds) to do recon and rescue them on her own. The only person she knew within a 50 mile radius was Duncan. As much as she resented the though, she was going to have to ask her for help. The woman really rubbed Charlie the wrong way. Perhaps it was because Duncan insinuated there might be a relationship between Monroe and Charlie. She knew that was only going to make it more difficult to convince Duncan to help her, especially if she previously had a relationship with Monroe. What could she say to win her over?

She thought about telling her about what the Patriots had done so far, try to get her to sympathize with the innocent people being killed, but that wouldn't work. Duncan doesn't want to fight. She was going to make Monroe buy her men. She wasn't feeling empathetic. Charlie thought about threatening her, but that had worked out so well the first time. Plus, she had back up then. Threatening a warlord when you have no one watching your back…not her best option. She could of course try to play into the woman's obvious feelings towards Monroe. Duncan's anger towards him when they showed up made it clear to Charlie and everyone else in the room that Duncan still had some feelings for the man, even if they might be resentful. She was willing to at least meet with him, so there must be some feelings other than resentment. This was her best option.

Charlie knew that tricking Duncan into wanting to help Monroe was going to be difficult. She knew that Duncan was about as headstrong as she was, and that convincing her of anything would not be easy. Charlie approached the Duncan's headquarters. Duncan spotted Charlie at the entrance and signaled her men to allow Charlie in. "That was too easy," Charlie thought. Something bad must've happened. She sat across a table from Duncan.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Is it that bad," Charlie asked.

"Sebastian and that other guy were caught outside the fight tent. They didn't make it 50 feet. Gould grabbed them both."

Charlie sighed, but suddenly it dawned on her. Duncan didn't know who Connor was. Bingo! "So, is he going to kill them?"

"Gould's making them fight each other….to the death. That kid doesn't stand a chance. Monroe will win. Gould owes me, so I can get Monroe out of there after, but then y'all have to leave. No men. That's the offer. Take it or leave it."

"Monroe won't win," Charlie said blatantly.

Duncan began laughing wildly. "Oh, I thought he was picking them young, but I didn't know they were also so naive. Dear, you mustn't know your lover as well as you think."

Charlie smiled inside, but made sure to keep a straight face. Duncan was going to play this right into her hands. Although she hated the idea of anyone thinking of her & Monroe as a "thing", but she knew she could use it to her advantage in this situation. "Well, dear, clearly, you don't know him as well as you think."

Leaning forward in her chair, attempting to taunt Charlie, "Oh she bites!" Duncan thought it was hilarious that Charlie thought that she could be jealous.

"Monroe won't kill the kid. Connor is his son."

Duncan leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. Her smile quickly disappeared, and she was clearly upset because she knew that Charlie just threw that taunting back in her face. Duncan was unwilling to give up quite yet. "How do you know he won't kill his own kid?"

"He risked his life to save the kid once already. He was willing to die to protect him. If he went through that once, I know there's not a doubt in his mind that he wouldn't do it again."

Duncan was taken aback by Charlie's stern attitude. She had lost this tete-a-tete. "What are you offering?"

Charlie was hoping she'd just offer to help, but clearly that wasn't going to happen. She hadn't planned for this. "Well, I don't have any money, so what do you want?"

Duncan thought a minute. She had to get this girl back for speaking so boldly. Duncan would never admit this, but the thought of another girl wanting to protect Monroe made her just want him more.

"I only want one thing, and as a matter of fact, you won't even need to give it to me until after we rescue them."

"Name it," Charlie said with a smirk.

"SEBASTIAN MONROE."


	2. Chapter 2: The Fight

Charlie sat stunned. For a second, she actually thought she may have successfully played Duncan, but Duncan pulled a fast one on her. Monroe was the only person besides herself who would stare down death in the face. Rachel, Gene, Aaron, Connor, and even Miles still had hope. Charlie couldn't believe she was thinking this, but her and Monroe might actually have something in common. If she were to give Monroe to Duncan, she'd lose one of their best assets. She didn't have a choice. It was either let Monroe die, and pray she can get Connor out, OR get the help from Duncan to save them both, but she has to give up Monroe. The more she thought about it, she realized it may not be such a bad deal. If she could almost trick Duncan, imagine what Monroe could do with a little more time with her. He surely wasn't just going to voluntarily stay with Duncan away from his son and the fight against the Patriots. He could trick her into letting him go, or better yet, get her to come with him.

"Deal," Charlie agreed.

Duncan smiled. "I thought you'd be more upset about losing your lover."

Ohhhh, Charlie couldn't resist. "Well unlike you, I care about his feelings, and I know he would prefer that his son not live the rest of his life knowing he murdered his father in front of a cheering audience." Once again, Charlie had managed to piss off Duncan, but Charlie was also surprised at how easily the words rolled off her tongue. She cared about Monroe's feelings? No, she was just doing what was best for the fight against the Patriots, just like she did when she brought Monroe to Willoughby and asked her mom not to execute him.

Duncan rose from the table and began walking towards the exit. "I'll get my men together, and we'll grab them after they enter the cage tomorrow evening. You'll wait outside of town. Someone will bring Connor to you."

"No," Charlie objected, quickly following her. "I want to help. Plus, how can I be sure you'll bring Connor to me?"

Duncan responded, "You're just going to have to trust me, cause if you get any closer to New Vegas than you already are, and you'll be thrown in that ring with them. Everyone watched you waltz into town with Jimmy King, New Vegas' top fighter. They know you helped snatch the diamonds. Plus, I don't need an extra head to watch."

"Fine," Charlie relented. "I'll be waiting. If you don't arrive by midnight though, I'm coming back."

"Sweetheart, you and the kid will already be on your way by then. Sebastian didn't come to me because I don't know how to execute a plan." With that, Duncan left to gather her men, and Charlie began her trek back to the rendezvous spot.

—

Monroe & Connor slowly made their way into the ring. They were kept in separate areas the past 24 hours, and they entered from separate sides. Duncan and her men were already in place. As soon as they entered the ring, Monroe looked over to Connor, "Son, I'm going to show you how to kill me. Make it look like you mean it, or they'll kill you when it's all over."

Connor began to speak up, but his father cut him off with a punch before he could get a word out.

As Connor began to get back up, Monroe continued. "We've got to make this quick, Connor. You don't know Charlie well enough yet to know that she'll come storming in here getting herself killed at any minute trying to rescue us. I can't let her do that. As soon as you finish this, you get the hell out of here, and you get to her. Forget about Duncan's men. Get back to Miles & Rachel. Tell Rachel & Charlie that I'm sorry for what happened to Ben & Danny. I never intended for either of them to die. Tell Miles I love him, and I'm sorry I let him down." The two men were now circling each other. The crowd was raging on.

Connor spoke quietly, "So the great Sebastian Monroe is just giving up that easy?"

Monroe spoke loudly so the crowd would hear. "GIVING UP? Oh kid, you must've missed my performance last night." With that, the cheers erupted from the audience. They were chanting for Jimmy King. Connor frowned. He wasn't ready for this. He hadn't yet seen Monroe as a father figure, but didn't want to lose his one and only chance of becoming the man he truly wanted to be. He lunged toward Monroe, but when he swung, Monroe ducked and punched him in the stomach.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one winning." Connor spit at him.

"Just making sure Gould gets the show he wants. He might not let you go so easy if he isn't satisfied. Plus, the angrier you are, the easier this'll be." With that Monroe grabbed him and threw him against the cage.

At that moment, 3 of Gould's men came storming in. Gould's casino was burning down. He had an idea of who started the fire, the girl that arrived with Jimmy King. As Gould began to run out of the tent towards his casino, he shouted to a few of his men to watch the fighters, and to make sure they finished. The crowd was oblivious to what was happening outside, but the number of Gould's men in the tent had diminished.

Connor was struggling against Monroe, but he wasn't giving up. He pushed back against his father, and threw him to the ground. Connor threw punch after punch after punch to his father's face. Monroe had begun to let his son defeat him, but suddenly, a small section of the stage under them gave out, and they fell beneath it. There was Duncan and two of her men. The crowd got louder, angrier. Gould's men stormed the cage, but the rest of Duncan's people followed them in. Suddenly a new fight had erupted inside the cage between Gould's and Duncan's men. The crowd seemed to have seemingly forgotten about the fight that was previously taking place, because their shouts only became louder.

Gould had reached his casino, but then it dawned on him, this was a distraction. He ran back to the fight tent, but he was too late. The fight had already ended, and Jimmy King and the kid were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_Thank you for the reviews so far! I really appreciate it. I know the story may seem like it's moving a bit slow, but I want to fully explore what Charlie & Monroe are going to have to go through to end up wanting each other. I hope y'all like what I have planned. Check back soon for more! :)_


	3. Chapter 3: Journey Back to Willoughby

_Oh my goodness, thank you so much for the kind reviews! I __**NEVER**__ write, so I was shocked to see how many people actually liked this. I promise I'll try my best to satisfy everyone's Charloe yearning! The next couple of chapters are still a bunch of build up, but I promise the payoff will be worth it. Happy reading! :) _

* * *

Duncan and her guys had somehow managed to sneak Sebastian and Connor back through the crowd and out of the tent. Upon exiting, Duncan stopped them. "Okay, time to split up."

As one of her men went to grab Connor, Monroe jumped in front of him, "Duncan, look, I'm thrilled and all that you found it in your heart to forgive me and come get us, but I'm not separating from him. We go together."

"That wasn't the deal I made with the girl. She gets the kid, I get you. End of story." Monroe stood there stunned. Charlie had asked for help? That was uncharacteristic. But that wasn't the real reason he was stunned. He knew that she had still hated him, but he had thought they had started to become friends…well, not exactly friends, but he wasn't sure of another word to describe their relationship. He had saved her, several times. He just couldn't believe she was going to abandon him. Charlie had given him up, and actually chose Connor to go with her? Yes, they had slept together, but he had assumed it happened so fast that it wasn't anything serious. But then he remembered what Connor said before, "She picked me."

"Jesus, Sebastian, have you really formed an attachment to the girl? You're old enough to be her father. She looks about the same age as your son!" Duncan interrupted his thoughts. He had not realized it, but his expression had turned to a frown. Connor was surprised too, but he was naively thinking that his father was frowning because he didn't want to separate.

"I'm not leaving my son, Duncan,." Monroe was trying to convince her that was the real reason for his disappointment. Charlie must've told her that Connor was his kid. Perhaps that's how she convinced her to rescue them.

"It's not a debate. Let's go." With that, each of Duncan's men grabbed a Monroe, and took them in separate directions. They were already weakened from the death match and couldn't take on Duncan and her men. As they were dragged away, Monroe shouted back, "I'll see you soon. I promise. Look after Charlie!"

—

It was almost 11, and Charlie was growing anxious. Just as she was about to leave to storm the town, two figures appeared out of the shadows. Two people? Where were the rest of them? It was Connor and another large man. She then realized Duncan wasn't going to let her see that Monroe was still alive or even tell him goodbye.

The large man spoke up, "It's time for the two of you to leave. If you even think of coming back for Monroe, Duncan will kill both of you and make Monroe watch."

Connor & Charlie jumped in the wagon without speaking. They began their journey back to Willoughby.

—

Duncan had taken Bass to her camp far on the other side of New Vegas. Far enough so that no one from Vegas would find them. She led him to his living quarters. "Ya know Sebastian, I never knew you had a son."

Bass spoke up, "I didn't tell anyone Duncan. Don't take it personally."

"You told her."

"It's not like that Duncan. Her family helped me find Connor. She found out due to the circumstances."  
"Is she why you left?"

"She tried to put an arrow threw my head," Bass snapped. He didn't understand why Duncan was so stuck on Charlie.

"So did you become lovers before or after your little quarrel?"  
"We're not sleeping together, Duncan, so you can chill with the jealous undertones."

"Well, she implied otherwise. She cares about you, a lot. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her the only way I'd save you and your son was if I got to keep you. Having the great Sebastian Monroe on my team, that was a chance I wasn't willing to pass up." Duncan spoke sarcastically, but Monroe took her very seriously. He had realized at that moment that Charlie hadn't chosen Connor, but that Duncan had chosen him. It was neither of them or just Connor. Charlie didn't have a choice. He was suddenly grateful for Charlie's actions. She had saved them both, and he owed her a great deal. But, why had she saved both of them, either of them? She had wanted him dead not that long ago. When did Charlie become the great defender of Sebastian Monroe? He stopped himself from thinking any further. He knew where that train of thought was going, and he didn't want to give himself any false hope. He turned his attention back to Duncan, "So, what now?"

"You fight with us. Maybe if you're well behaved…" Duncan let her words hang in the air.

Bass didn't understand why she would suddenly be interested, but then it dawned on him, she was jealous. He could use this to his advantage. "Ya know, I've been pretty good so far. I mean I barely put up a fight when you ripped my son from my grasp." He began walking closer towards her.

She put her hand to his chest to delicately push him away, "It won't be that easy. Goodnight, Sebastian."

"Goodnight, Duncan." Bass sat down on his cot. Quietly laughing to himself. This was going to be too easy. He would be able to convince Duncan to let him go in a matter of days if not hours. He'd catch up with Charlie, Connor, Miles, & Rachel and start working on a new plan to get rid of those damn patriots.

—

"So you just gave him up that easily, huh?" Connor was furious.

"She wasn't just going to help me, Connor. I pointed a gun at her yesterday. She wanted your dad, so I gave him to her. In return, she saved you both. It was that or let you both die. I think I made the better choice, but please tell me if I didn't, and I'll put you out of your misery." Charlie replied quickly, wanting to put Connor in his place. He failed at his end of the plan, and he had no right to question her. She wanted to ask if Monroe was ok, but didn't want to sound too interested. "So, Monroe, he made it out too?"

Connor smirked, "Yea, he did. You care?"

Connor saw right through her. She needed a quick recovery. "Yea, I do." Not the answer Connor was expecting. She continued, "Right now, there are like 4 of us left to fight these Patriot assholes. Monroe is a killer. We need him to win."

And, Charlie was back. Connor believed her. He just wanted to make sure those were her true intentions regarding her father. "So, what do you say we stop for the night. Pick up where we left off." He leaned in for a kiss.

Charlie didn't want to do that again, not with him. She pushed him back. If it happens more than once it means something. She'd let him down easy. "We can't stop tonight. We need to get back to my mom and Miles, figure out what were going to do next." The look on his face told her she wasn't convincing him of anything. She smiled, "Maybe after we get there."

He smiled back.

She had done it. He believed her. They rode the rest of the way in silence, taking turns driving and resting. She'd deal with the truth when the time came, but for the time being, he believed every word out of her mouth. She only wish she knew why she felt she had to convince him she didn't care about Monroe. She didn't care about him…She doesn't care about him. She had to correct herself. She had no idea what was going on in her already messed up head, but she didn't want to think of it anymore. She let Connor take over steering, and decided to rest a while.


	4. Chapter 4: Enemies become Allies

It was mid-afternoon when Bass woke up. He knew he needed to work fast on Duncan. He went looking for her and found her by a river bank…alone. "Perfect," he thought. She was washing herself. He walked towards the river, slowly taking off his clothes. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her, taking her by surprise. She could tell by his grasp who he was. She smiled. He turned her around, and they began kissing rapidly. He picked her up and carried her to an area heavily covered by trees. No one would see them here.

When they had finished, they laid there awhile, reminiscing. Bass couldn't believe just how easy it was, but he could tell she still enjoyed his company. He decided that this was as good a time as any to try and win her over. "Duncan, look, this is nice. Really. I am truly enjoying myself." He was smiling. "And I owe you for saving us, but I just found my son. We've been so consumed by this Patriot bull shit, I've barely gotten a chance to know him. I have to go back. You have to let me go back." He pulled out those puppy dog eyes, hoping she'd understand.

She sat up, "This is about that girl too, isn't it?"

He rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I am not with Charlie. She is my best friend's niece. For Christ's sake, I caught her with Connor. This is about my son, my chance to make things up to him. A few months ago, I was prepared to die, but then I found him, and now I have a reason to fight. Plus, the Patriots are saying that I dropped the bombs, that I killed my own people. There were millions of people counting on me, and I let them down. I didn't protect them. It was the Patriots who dropped the bombs on Philly & Atlanta. They're killing innocent people in order to show them that they need protecting. They've already manipulated their way into Texas. I have to get back before things get worse."

She thought long and hard. If this was true, she may have reason to be concerned. How long until they reach the California coast? She heard about another tribe practically falling off the face of the earth. The Patriots might be the reason why. "There was a tribe a while back that disappeared."

Before she could finish Bass interrupted, "They scared the town where I was with Connor, Willoughby. The Patriots came in just in time to save everyone," he said sarcastically. "They slaughtered the whole tribe in a train yard and didn't leave a trace." Wait a second, why was she asking him about this? Was she considering helping him? He better take advantage of this while he has the chance. "Duncan, I'm not asking for your help. I'll go alone. But if you and your tribe came with me, we could put a stop to this before they make their way across the Plains Nation."

She stood up and began getting dressed to leave. "I'm not making any promises. I'll talk to my men. I'll make a decision before nightfall."

Bass truly felt he'd be able to convince her to let him go, but he hadn't even hoped to convince her and her tribe to follow him. He laid there trying to send telepathic thoughts to Charlie & Connor that he'd soon be back fighting with them. He hoped they were making it back to Miles & Rachel safely.

—

Connor & Charlie rode all the way back without stopping. They arrived just before nightfall. As they approached the house, Charlie thought about how long it would be until Monroe got away from Duncan, or if he even could get away, so that they could resume their fight against the Patriots. They walked in the house to find Gene, Rachel, Miles, & two guests. The guests were sitting with their backs towards the door. As they stood, Charlie's stomach began turning. It was Tom & Jason Neville. As she reached for her rifle, Rachel jumped up. "Charlie, stop."

"He's responsible for a lot of things that happened to our family mom. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill him."

"Tom & Jason came to help, Charlie." Miles chimed in. "They encountered the same Patriot bull shit out east as we did here."  
Jason spoke up, "Charlie, they killed my mother." His somber, heartfelt plea caused Charlie to lower her gun a little. Connor saw the glances between Jason & Charlie. He could tell they had history. He was ready for the challenge. He put his arm around Charlie and smiled.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Connor…"  
"Charlie's boyfriend," Rachel quickly cut him off before he could finish. She didn't have time to think. She spat out the first idea that came to her head. Jason looked sharply at Connor. Charlie had a confused look on her face, why would her mom say Connor was her boyfriend. Rachel quickly changed the subject, "Charlie, they heard about Monroe's execution. That's how they found us."

Charlie & Connor both understood what that meant. Tom & Jason believed that Monroe was dead. It was better that they not know Connor was his son.

Tom finally spoke, "Well, Charlie, I was hoping we could put our differences aside. These Patriots are no fools. If you plan on taking them on, you'll need mine and Jason's help."  
"He's right Charlie. We could use the help." Miles stared her down.

"Fine," she relented, lowering her gun completely, "but if I suspect for even a second that his intentions are anything other than what he says, I won't hesitate like I just did. I'll put a bullet through your head quicker than you can say the word Patriot." She directed her words at Tom. She stormed out of the room, and Connor & Jason quickly followed.


	5. Chapter 5: Letting Go

"Charlie wait," Jason shouted. Connor turned around quickly to see that Jason had followed her as well. They stared each other down. Charlie turned to see that they both had followed her, and quickly realized what was about to happen.

"Wait? For what? We're not together anymore Jason."

Connor smiled which only infuriated Jason. "So what? Where'd you meet this guy? How do you know he isn't a Patriot infiltrating your little band of rebels?"

"I'm not…" Charlie wasn't sure how to respond. "We're not together." Connor looked disappointed.

"That's not what your mother said," Jason replied.

"She just likes him better than my ex. Ya know his father did try to kill us all." That was a low blow, but Jason wasn't showing any signs of letting this go. She continued, hoping he'd back off, "He just follows me around."

Connor turned to her, "So New Vegas really meant nothing to you?"

"You slept with him!" Jason shouted.

They were staring at Charlie, their eyes begging for her to respond. She looked at them both. "I can't deal with this right now. We'll talk later. Don't follow me." With that, she stormed back into the house and up to her room.

—

Duncan came to Bass' tent while it was still daylight. He could tell by her demeanor that she had made a decision.

"One of my men knew Titus, the leader of that tribe you said the Patriots took out. He fought alongside them a few times," she said angrily. "He had a lot of followers. If the Patriots could take them down, they won't hesitate to use my tribe next. We're in. We leave in 20."

She left the tent, and Bass couldn't help but grin. He wondered if this was what Charlie had planned after all. Judging by how much Duncan was concerned with his relationship with Charlie, he guessed that she must've played into that weakness. She must've known that he'd be able to convince Duncan to do whatever he wanted. Charlie was smart, smarter than he had realized. She was tough, tougher than most women. Duncan, Nora, & Rachel were the only other women who he could say were equally as tough, and they didn't have that kind of strength until they were older. She was incredibly mature, much beyond her years. She was beautiful…Wait, what? His train of thought had gotten away from him. When did he begin to see Charlie as beautiful, or as a mature woman? He hadn't ever thought of her as ugly, but he never thought much about her looks. He had always viewed her as a kid, Miles niece, but that changed. It changed when she threw herself in front of a gun, completely prepared to die, when he had first met her. It changed on their little trip from New Vegas to Willoughby a few months before. He realized that over the past few months, he had put his life at risk to save hers on more than one occasion. Could it be possible that he felt anything for her other than the beginnings of a friendship? No, absolutely not. "Absolutely not," he told himself. He told himself this over and over again. He refused to give this more thought for fear he might convince himself otherwise.

—

When Charlie woke in the morning, she thought she was the first up. She didn't want to be around anyone. When she arrived in the kitchen, she found Miles. She could tell he also didn't want to wake anyone else, but she could sense he wanted to talk, so she followed him outside. They began walking into the woods to get some food for the others.

"So, are you going to tell me what the hell happened," he asked.

"Monroe's friend, Duncan, seems to be a former flame…a not so happy former flame. She wouldn't give him the men we needed without payment. We didn't have money, so we tried to rob a casino. I did my part, but Connor and Monroe got caught. I went back, asked Duncan for help, and she got them out of there."

"His homicidal contact is a woman?"

"Yea, surprised me too."

"So then where's Bass?"

"That was the deal I had to make. She would only help if she could keep him."  
"Damn it. We need him Charlie."  
"You think I don't know that. He's the only one of us who's proven how ready he is to die for this fight. I did what I could"  
"I know. I don't blame you. Ya know kid, you really shouldn't have even gone back for them. You should've come back and gotten me."

"It was too far. I didn't want to waste time we didn't have. They almost had to fight to the death. Well, actually, they had started fighting. That was their punishment, but Duncan apparently got them out before Connor could finish it."

"Monroe was going to let him win?"

"Yea."

"As much as I want to be angry with him…he's really trying isn't he?"

"I don't know Miles. It would appear that way, but when have we ever known Monroe to be so honest?"  
"Charlie, he was a good man once. He had his family ripped from his grasp, and that's when we started the militia."  
"He started the militia out of vengeance? What happened to his family? Did Georgia kill them? We all know how much he hated them." Charlie spoke so quickly as to further demonstrate how little she cared for the man.  
"No Charlie. We started the militia. It was right after his wife died while giving birth to their first child. He was empty for a long time. Then when he was in Mexico, I watched how willing he was to die to protect Connor." Charlie didn't look convinced. "Truly, Charlie. He was noble almost. Since you brought him here a few weeks ago, he's done enough for me to think he may be a changed man." Charlie was surprised. She had never considered that Monroe had suffered.

"Why are you trying to convince me?"

"Because, I was no better than him. Charlie, they called me a butcher. I found my peace sooner than him, but you played a large part in that. I think his son is doing the same for him."

"He killed your brother and your nephew. He held mom captive for how many years?" Charlie couldn't believe what Miles was saying. She…forgive him? Not a chance.

"I took your mom, Charlie." Miles was looking at the ground. Charlie stared at him stunned. Before she could get a word out Miles continued. "I made a lot of mistakes and so did Bass."

"You didn't kill his family though." Charlie didn't want to let it go so easily.  
"He didn't kill yours either kid. I can't believe I'm defending him, but think about it. It was one of Tom's men who pulled the trigger. Bass wanted your father alive. And Danny wanted to be a soldier, and that's what happens in war. Soldiers die. Bass was indirectly connected to their deaths, and that makes him no less responsible, but that also makes me just as responsible. I'm the one who told Bass about Ben and Rachel. Jesus, I'm the one who wanted to kidnap them in the first place. And I allowed you and Danny to fight with the rebels. It's just as much my fault as it is Bass's. I'm not saying you have to like the guy, but you need to let go of this vengeance. Holding on to all of this anger is going to send you down the same spiral your mother went down a while back. He's trying, and at this point, I think that's all we can ask for."

Charlie sat their questioning her own thoughts. She was not nearly as angry as she was before, but Miles had really pushed this idea on her. She hadn't hated Monroe nearly as much as she had a while back, but she didn't think she was ready to forgive him. "Why does it matter to you what I think of him?"

"I've loved the guy longer than you've been alive. Don't tell him that. It'll go to his head." Miles chuckled. "As much as I hate to admit this, there's a reason why I've never killed him. He's my family Charlie, always has been…and so are you."

Charlie could see what Miles was trying to say. None of them were guilt free. They all played their part in someone else's demise. They've all killed, tortured, abandoned their loved ones, etc. They're all to blame for their own downfall. Suddenly, Charlie realized that she was no different than Monroe. Those men she killed, they had mothers, brothers, sons, daughters. How does she have a right to judge? Miles was right, she needed to let go of her past, let go of her animosity towards Monroe, so she could fully focus on protecting those she loved that were still with her.


	6. Chapter 6: Love Triangle, Pt 1

It was late afternoon when Charlie & Miles returned to the house. The others were in various rooms, all trying to avoid each other. Charlie went directly to her room, she still wasn't ready to be bothered with Jason or Connor.

A while later in the evening, there was a knock on her door. "Come in."

Jason walked in. "Charlie, can we please talk?"

Charlie rolled her eyes and began to move out of the room. "There's nothing to talk about Jason."  
Jason followed her, "Yes there is Charlie. I'm not going to leave you alone until you answer some questions."  
At this point, Charlie was nearly out the house. Connor had heard them from the living room. Though he didn't want to admit it, he was very attracted to her. She was like him, but a woman. He wasn't just going to hand her over to some other guy. He decided to follow them. "Love triangle, part dos," he thought. Once he caught up with him, they were a ways a bit from the house.

"Charlie, I also have some questions." Connor finally spoke up. She was standing with her back to them both. When she turned around, she was more annoyed than ever.

"Listen, I like you both. Really. You're both nice guys. Problem is, I'm not interested. I don't need a man, and you both want a girl who needs you. You are most definitely barking up the wrong tree. I think that once I would start a relationship with either of you, you'd be disappointed and realize I'm not actually what you want. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor."

"I do know you," Jason replied.

"I'm not that person anymore Jason. Things changed after the tower…I changed."  
"Well I know you now," Connor chimed in.

"Connor, I told you it was nothing when it happened. I'm not looking for anything. Last thing I need is to have someone else to worry about." Both men felt and looked rejected. "You're both great. I truly mean that, but I just can't do this. The fact that the two of you followed me out here…again…only further proves to me how much I don't want to be with either of you. You both are just going to have to let this go." With that, she turned to walk away.

"Well, I guess that's that," Connor said to Jason.

"Where did you even come from?"

"Why don't we go grab a drink? Trade stories? I'm sure we can find something to talk about." Jason didn't know why Connor suddenly wanted to be friends, but Connor had something else in mind. If he and his father were going to restart the militia, they would need someone strong like Jason. It was clear the guy was tough. Connor could use him, so why not try and win him over now. He didn't have many "friends" yet in the states, so now was as good a time as any to start.

—

As Charlie continued deeper into the woods, she heard a twig snap. She spoke as she began to turn around. "I thought I told you guys…" Charlie was stunned. It wasn't Jason or Connor. It was Sebastian Monroe.

* * *

_I'm sorry I ended it there! It was just too perfect of an ending point to pass up. What do y'all think of the Jason/Charlie/Connor triangle and the Duncan/Bass hook up? I'm really sorry I hooked those two up. Like I said before, I'm trying to keep this as close to the show as possible, and I really think that's going to happen. As much as hated writing it (I sort of avoided it a bit), I think it was necessary. _

_I already have the next chapter written, but I'd like to know what everyone thinks of this direction first. If y'all have ideas of something that may be more likely to happen, let me know! And I promise I'll post the Charloe chapter soon. It's coming, folks...it's coming! As always, HAPPY READING! :)_


	7. Chapter 7: A Glimmer of Hope & a Spark

_Hi everyone! Just a few quick things before you start this chapter. Someone pointed out a grammar error back in Ch. 4, I fixed it! I write so late at night, and so quickly, I know there were bound to be grammar errors. If anyone else sees any more mistakes, just let me know._

_Someone else inquired about the republic, and this I kind of want some input on, because I still haven't decided exactly what I want to do with that. He might tell Connor he doesn't want it at all anymore. But if I do have him stick with bringing back the republic, he'll have to tell Connor that it won't be the way he imagined it, and he won't be General Monroe again. So either way, there is sure to be a confrontation between the two. Also, in a way, I think that fighting and protecting people is something Charlie & Bass have begun to bond over. I don't know if I want either of them to just give that up. After all, they do live in a different world now. They're not just going to settle down, get a house, raise a family, and live happily ever after. I mean, that could happen, but I don't think it would happen without them both still feeling like they had a duty to protect the general population. So let me know your thoughts on this! _

_Someone else pointed out that the Connor/Charlie/Jason love triangle scenes came and went pretty quick, and I agree! I felt like I rushed that a bit too. The only reason I ended it so soon is because I know the Charlie/Bass/Duncan triangle is going to be something that needs to be addressed. I'm trying really hard not to let the story be completely consumed by love triangles. I don't want this to turn into a soap opera. I am going to address Jason & Connor again, but only in relation to how they're affected by Charlie/Bass. That's going to affect everyone. I'm just trying to be careful that I don't get the characters stuck in a love octagon, lol. _

_Anyways, I've posted more at the end of this chapter, sort of addressing what happens. Let me know what y'all think! ENJOY! :)_

* * *

Monroe. Charlie smiled, "How…"

Monroe cut her off, "You're happy to see me." He smiled back.

She quickly changed her expression. "Don't flatter yourself."

Monroe chuckled. "I convinced Duncan that it was just a matter of time before the Patriots came after her tribe. It took a little convincing, but she let me go, and she came with me."

"Well then where is she?" Charlie said, looking around for a tribe of killers.

"They set up camp a little farther out. They kind of spread out too. We didn't want to attract any attention. I decided to come up to the house before I brought any of them. Make sure everything was ok, and that you and Connor got back safely."

"Then why are you out here," she asked.

"Well, I was on my way to the house, when I saw these two guys following you. I couldn't make out who it was, but then I saw Connor & Jason Neville…I want to ask what he's doing here, but I'm more intrigued to know why you went all Miss Independent on them." Monroe was practically laughing. He moved over to sit on a log.

"It's not cool to laugh at your own kid," Charlie said sternly. She sat beside him.

Monroe smiled. "Look, I didn't realize the kid was so soft, so it's good that you shot him down. He needs a little toughening up. So thank you for that."

"So how much did you hear?"

"All of it, I think. Seems like you got yourself a little love triangle. Isn't it fun having them fight over you?" Monroe used to love being wanted by several women.

Charlie decided to indulge Monroe and answer his ridiculous questions. She needed a bit of banter after the past few weeks she's had. "Surprisingly not. They were acting like little teenage boys. It was a bit pathetic actually." She laughed.

He laughed, "Yea, actually, it kind of was."

They both relaxed. This was a first. They weren't nervous, anxious, or on guard in each other's presence. They both thought it was a nice change.

"Ya know, he may need more toughening up than you realize," Charlie stated plainly.

"What do you mean," he asked.

"The other night…," she began.

He cut her off, "We really don't need to talk about that."

"Ew! Oh god, no, that is not what I want to talk about," she was sort of laughing. He smiled, relieved that they wouldn't discuss that. She continued, "I was telling him how he was on the losing side. He seems to think we're all going to survive this."

"You don't?"

She looked directly into his eyes, "Look, Monroe, I'm well aware of what I've gotten myself into. We'll all be lucky to make it to next month let alone next year."

"That's a bit grim, don't you think?"

"Funny, that's almost exactly what Connor said," she said rolling her eyes at him. "I really thought you would understand. You have already died after all."

"I get it. I do. Until I knew I could find Connor, I did feel exactly the same way. I guess I just found something, someone to live for. You should do the same, Charlie." Charlie looked at the ground. She looked as if she were about to cry. He knew what she was thinking. He had spoken so quickly, he hadn't realized what he was saying. "I…," he hesitated, "I took away the people you lived for, the people you loved." He had known before how much he had ruined her life, but he hadn't felt the gravity of how deeply it affected her until this moment. He realized he had created in her what he used to be. He had never hated himself more.

She still couldn't look at him. "Ya know, I spoke with Miles about that earlier today. He says he's as much to blame as you are. I think he wants me to forgive you."

"You never have to forgive me, Charlotte. I…I don't think I realized it until now, but if someone were ever responsible for taking away Connor in the way that I was responsible for taking your family, I'd hunt them down and kill them." Charlie looked at him stunned. "You should have killed me." She actually believed what he was saying. "Don't let what I did to you, turn you into the hopeless, desperate person that I was." He paused a second. "I'm so sorry for what I've done to you, and I never expect you to forgive me. I just hope that you'll at least let me show you that I'm trying to change. I don't want to be General Monroe anymore." He looked away from her when he finished, for the first time feeling completely ashamed of what he had done in the past.

She spoke up, "I think I believe you." His eyes sprung up. "I don't know if I forgive you, but I'm glad to know…to see that you are trying." She had truly believed what he was saying, and she had forgiven him, but she just wasn't ready for him to know that yet. "Just promise me this."

"Anything," he replied.

"You won't ever abandon your son, you won't ever take away someone's entire family again, and you will never become General Monroe again."

He had a straight look on his face. He felt so ashamed at that moment, remembering what he had promised his son. He still wasn't sure what he meant when he promised his son the republic. A small piece of him wanted that again, but this time he wanted to protect his people the right way. Do the right thing. But he knew Connor wanted more. Connor wanted power. He still wasn't sure what he was going to do. He didn't want to let his son down, but strangely now, he also didn't want to let Charlie down. "I promise, Charlotte." He wanted to tell her the truth, but he couldn't stand the idea of hurting her more than he already had.

Charlie grinned. He smiled back. She continued, "So, Jason isn't here alone. Tom's with him. They say they want to take down the Patriots, because they killed Julia. I don't trust Tom though. I never do." Charlie had wanted to change the subject. Things were getting a little deep.

"Neither do I. How did they even find us?"

"Apparently, they heard about your execution, and that it was my mom and grandfather who oversaw it. That reminds me, they think you're actually dead. I guess it's a good thing you didn't just show up to the house with a bunch of homicidal maniacs."

"Guess so. Look, why don't you go back. Let Miles know I'm here with the men. Send him to meet me here tomorrow around noon. We'll figure out what we want to do next. In the meantime, I'll stay hidden."

"Okay." She looked at him, pondering what Miles had spoken to her about earlier, how upset he was when he caught her & Connor, how Bass had saved her so many times over the past few weeks. That was Bass who had saved her, not Monroe. She thought about talking about it to him then, but decided she that their conversation for the night had gone far enough. For now she would wait.

"Goodnight, Charlie."

"Goodnight, Bass."

They both began their walks in opposite directions. Monroe was glad to see her, see that she had made it back to Texas safely….Wait a second, she had just called him Bass. He turned back around. "Charlotte," he shouted. She turned back around and saw him running towards her. "You called me Bass." He had a large smile on his face.

"Guess I did." She smiled back.

"Charlie, I promise you," he said putting his hand on her arm, "I am never going to let you down."

She looked at his hand on her arm, unsure of what to do. She did what felt natural. She grabbed his hand, squeezed it tight and said, "I…believe you." They exchanged hopeful looks. He slid his hand off her arm, and their hands gently separated. She began walking away, and he just stood their watching her.

—

He couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened, how much he's hurt her, how much he wanted to make it up to her. He was going to have to tell her what he told Connor in Mexico. She deserved the truth. He wanted her to know the truth. He promised himself he would tell her the next time he saw her, no matter how hard it was.

He tried to think of something else. He didn't like feeling this vulnerable. He would protect both her and Connor at all costs. He would die for both of them.

He enjoyed watching Charlie put Connor and Jason in their place. He knew she was independent, but watching her deny two men at once…well that just got him a little excited. Who doesn't like a challenge? He was doing it again. He tried, unsuccessfully, to stop himself from thinking any further. Charlie was not someone he could think of in that way. She would never have him or want him, and he most certainly would never expect her too. He felt like he was betraying her just by thinking these thoughts. He had to at least admit it to himself though. He felt something for her, and he would do anything for her. The moment she grabbed his hand, he felt a spark. He hadn't wanted to let go. In that moment, he had felt more alive than he had in nearly a decade. He would never expect her to reciprocate those feelings, but as long as he was honest with himself, he would always protect her. He quickly made his way back to Duncan to fill her in on what was going on… and to try to take his mind off of the one thing he would always want but knew he could never have.

—-

While walking back to the house, Charlie couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Bass. She truly believed that he was sorry for everything that he had done, and she believes that he is not General Monroe anymore. She appreciated him trying to help her. She still had her mother, Gene, & Miles. She promised herself she'd live for them now as she once did for her father and Danny. She was still prepared to die tomorrow, but now with Bass winning over Duncan and getting her and her men to help them…she no longer felt as hopeless as she had a few days before. Was it possible that Bass was actually assisting in pulling her out of the darkness? She wasn't sure, but she knew she wanted to talk to him again. He had brought the help they needed, and he was trying to help her make sense of what she was doing. It was like they were friends. That idea felt foreign, but she liked that conversation. She couldn't believe how naturally it happened. It was…easy, despite it's subject. As much as she hated to admit it, she could recognize how at ease she felt. She didn't think she hated him anymore. She hadn't felt such simplicity with anyone other than Miles in such a long time, and lately Miles was so wrapped up in all things Rachel, that it was nice to have someone to herself. Wow. Had she actually just thought that? She tried to deny her thoughts from continuing, but she couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. She called him Bass. She was thinking of him as Bass. She definitely no longer hated him. She enjoyed being around him. She allowed him to touch her. Then she grabbed his hand. It had happened so organically. She felt something in that moment. A spark…maybe. Could it be possible that she felt something more for him? Bass had ignited something in her during their conversation…hope maybe. She was thankful for that. She NEEDED that. Things were changing between them for the better, that was for sure. She stopped herself before her thoughts went any farther, but she made a promise to herself to talk to him again tomorrow. She had to figure out what she felt for him, whether it was friendship…or something more.

* * *

_ So I know, I know, I know. There was no kissing or sex…yet. She just had that talk with Miles. She's still trying to figure things out with herself. They can't jump into bed that fast. But it'll happen eventually. I'm not just leading y'all on, I promise! How do y'all feel about this progression though? I know I'm living in a Charloe world, so realistically, I'm probably moving a little fast. I just think that Charlie as a character needs some growth, and I do think that this is how that growth is going to happen on the show. So what do y'all think? Let me know! :) _


	8. Chapter 8: Hurt

_Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for the long wait for this update! I got so stuck in some of these chapters because of the lack of Charloe (Sorry in advance). I hate writing this in between stuff, but it needs to be written to tell the whole story. I've written almost the entire story though, so this story will be finished before Wednesday's episode. I'll post it gradually, so you have something to get you through the last fews days without the show. I hope y'all enjoy this! Don't forget to leave feedback. It's much appreciated! Happy Reading! :)_

* * *

Just as Charlie arrived back at the house, she saw Jason and Connor stumbling in, clearly intoxicated. She stopped to watch them, completely baffled. Jason walked in the house, but Connor spotted her. He turned to Jason. "Hey buddy, I'm going to hang out here a bit and get some air. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright. Night man." Jason hollered back.

Charlie saw that Connor had spotted her. They walked towards each other.

"What the hell was that," Charlie asked angrily.

"Sweetheart, you denied us both. We were consoling each other. We just had a few drinks in the barn. Plus, I figured I'm going to need to make some friends here eventually, and Jason and I just so happened to have something in common. I thought it was a good start," he laughed.

Charlie knew exactly what he was referring too…her. "That's hilarious, Connor, but what's really going on?" Charlie knew something was up, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Nothing's up. Just making friends," he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes. "Look, you need to be careful with Jason & Tom. I want to trust Jason…he's been somewhat dependable in the past. But I don't trust Tom as far as I can throw him. He's worse than your father was at his worst. I'm sure he'd even sacrifice his son if it meant getting head…Just be careful."

"Charlie, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were concerned for my well being," he smiled again.

She rolled her eyes again, "I just don't want to have to save your ass again." She really enjoyed putting him in his place. The guy just didn't know when to quit. "Well, I just saw your dad. He somehow managed to get Duncan and her men to come and help us."

"I think we can guess what he did."

Charlie thought a minute. She wasn't quite sure what Connor meant. Then it hit her. Monroe had slept with Duncan. She was sickened at the thought. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but it hurt to know he was with Duncan…and that we was with her again now. She didn't want to think about it. "That's disgusting."

"Is it really any different than what you did to me back in New Vegas? You basically used me Charlie." He was smiling, trying to be smart.

"Yea, I really used you Connor." She said it sarcastically, trying to play it off, but that's exactly what she had done.

"So where is he now," Connor asked, changing the conversation.

"Him, Duncan, and her men are all spread out. It's a good thing they didn't all come knocking on the front door considering your new best friend and his father think he's dead."

"Yea, I was thinking about that. Truman saw him. Then we brought Truman back to the Patriots, alive. It's only a matter of time before word gets out that he somehow survived his execution."

"So you think we should tell them," Charlie asked.

"I don't know. I think we should check with him and your uncle first."

"Well, they're meeting up tomorrow. So they'll talk about it then."

"So when am I going to see dear old dad?"

"He saw that you were fine Connor. I'm sure he'll come see you soon enough."

Connor thought for a second. It was strange that his dad reached out to Charlie & not him. "Why did he come to you?"

Charlie could see where this was going. "I was alone. You were with someone who thinks he's dead. I think he made the logical choice."

"Sure he did. Well, we should get some rest. It's pretty late," he said suggestively.

"Yea, we should REST. Plus, I don't want to give you any more wrong ideas." She was trying to be a smart ass.

He grinned. "Okay, I'll sleep in my own room tonight."

"You'll sleep in your own room every night," she responded.

"Until you get bored again…Goodnight, Charlie."

"Goodnight, Connor."

He had seriously annoyed her earlier. She didn't want to be fought over like she was someone's prize. She could tell he was forming some sort of strange attachment. And despite her being annoyed by his antics, she was beginning to find them somewhat endearing. He may be able to be someone she could call a friend. She could tell he was forming some sort of strange attachment. It wasn't love, but it was something, and she just didn't want that…not with him at least. She just had to keep pushing him away. He'd get the idea, and maybe eventually they could be friends.

—

First thing in the morning, Charlie found Miles. She pulled him away from the group, and gave him the cliffs notes version of her encounter with Monroe the night before.

"How'd he get her to come?"

"How do you think, Miles? I told you she was a former flame."

"Lovely. That's just what we need. Bass' homicidal ex finding out he used her for her war tribe."

"I talked to Connor last night too. He thinks we should tell Tom & Jason that Monroe's alive,"Charlie said. She wanted to stop talking about Monroe & Duncan being together.

"Yea, I thought that too, but we might not have to. The Patriots aren't going to want everyone to know that they failed. They may try to keep it on the down low. Plus, I don't think we can trust them yet. When have we ever known Tom to be honest?"

Charlie nodded, suggesting she agreed.

"I'll talk to Bass, see what he thinks. You hang back here and keep an eye on everyone." Miles certainly had a lot to talk to him about.

"Okay," Charlie replied.

Miles sure had a lot on his mind, like how the hell could Bass put Charlie at risk like that. Have her rob a bank? Was he crazy? Then get caught with Connor and leave Charlie out there on her own? When he saw Bass later on, he'd certainly let him know how he felt.


	9. Chapter 9: A Change of Plans

Later on in the day, Miles made his way to meet Bass. When he arrived, Bass was already waiting.

"Hey brother," Bass said smiling.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Miles pushed him.

"What are you talking about?"

"You had Charlie rob a casino? Then you let yourself and your kid get caught so that Charlie was on her own in New Vegas as a wanted criminal?"

"I realize now that was a poor decision. I'm sorry Miles."

Miles had a dumfounded look on his face,"Well, that was…easy."

"You know I spoke with her last night. She's in a dark place Miles, and I did that to her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You're serious?" Miles hadn't meant it to sound like a question. He was just surprised.

"I'm trying Miles. I really am. I have Connor now, and I think that's certainly given me motivation to change."

"I know. I tried to explain that to Charlie. I've got to pull her out of this."

"I'll help…as much as she'll allow me anyway. I owe her that much. We can't let her become what I was." Bass couldn't believe how honest he and Miles were being. They hadn't spoken like this in a long time.

"She won't ever be what you were, Bass. She's not that far gone."

"You didn't hear her last night. She thinks she's not going to make it another 6 months, and she's ok with that. I'm responsible for that. I know that now."

"I appreciate your concern, Bass. Really. But when did you and Charlie become so close?" Miles was confused. Just a few days ago, Charlie was doubting whether or not to forgive Bass.

"Well, she told me you talked to her, so thank you for that. Then, she got pissed at me when I didn't agree with her that we should be so hopeless. That's when I realized, I did that to her. I did it to Rachel & you too. You've got each other though. I think Charlie feels like she's on her own. You know that's exactly how I started down the rabbit hole."

"So did y'all sit around and paint each other's nails too," Miles asked sarcastically.

Bass rolled his eyes, "I'm being serious Miles."

Miles knew he was being serious, he just couldn't imagine Bass & Charlie speaking so deeply. "I know. As least I know I've got someone else looking out for her now. That means a lot man."

If Miles only knew how Bass really felt towards Charlie…

Miles continued, "So, you're contact, the one with the homicidal maniacs, you just had to sleep with her, didn't you?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Charlie."

"How on earth does she know that?" Monroe didn't want Charlie to know about him & Duncan. It hadn't meant anything, but now he felt as if he'd betrayed her in some way. He would have to explain things to her.

"She wasn't born yesterday, Bass. She's a grown woman." Miles knew that was the truth. She could take care of herself, but he was always going to protect her. "So, what's going on? Does she think you're dating now? Is that why she agreed to help us?"

"Look, she was displaying some signs that suggested she was still interested. I saw my opening, and I took it. She wasn't just going to let me come back here. She made Charlie & Connor leave without me."

"So you're purely using her, right? So what happens when she figures that out?" Miles was worried. There weren't many women around, so Bass may be able to stay in line and just stick to Duncan. But this was no ordinary woman. This was the leader of a war tribe.

"She won't."

"Oh, and you're just so sure about that?" Miles was not convinced.

"I'm taking care of it, Miles."

"Jesus, Bass. Don't screw this up. We've come a long way. We actually may have a chance now."

"I won't," Bass demanded. There was no way he'd let everyone down again. "You can trust me."

"I hope so." Miles continued, "so what's the plan?"

"Well, with Tom & Jason here, I'm not sure. They think I'm dead right?"

"Yea. About that. We let Truman go, and he knows you're alive. It's only a matter of time before word gets out that you're not dead. Then again, they could also be too embarrassed to share with the world that they can't properly carry out an execution."

"So then what do you want to do," Bass asked.

"I say we keep you and the tribe hidden for now. We still don't know if we can trust them anyway. Even if they found out you were alive, I definitely don't want them knowing we have a bunch of killers in our back pocket."

"Alright, so are we just going to sit tight for now? Like you said, we got a bunch of killers sitting around."

"We'll try not to wait to long. A week, two tops. But I've gotta feel out Tom & Jason a bit more before we go making any major decisions."

"Sounds good."

"Let's plan on meeting again tomorrow evening. I'll send Connor."

"Thanks brother. I appreciate it."

"Sure thing."

With that, they parted ways. Miles was hoping that Bass could keep up that little act with Duncan long enough for the tribe to be of actual use. He was also glad to hear that he was equally, if not more, worried about Charlie. It calmed him knowing he had someone else watching her back.

Bass couldn't stop thinking about Charlie knowing about him & Duncan. He had just started to win her over, and now she surely must've been disgusted with him. And now it was too late to change his strategy. He could try, but Duncan was a smart woman. He just prayed Charlie wasn't thinking it was anything more serious than it was. He didn't want to disappoint her. That was something he couldn't stop thinking about. He did not want to disappoint her. He couldn't deny it any longer. He felt something for Charlie. He wasn't sure to what extent, but it was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

—

Jason & Connor had gone out a little later in the evening to hunt. While out, they came across a Patriot patrol. Just two soldiers.

"I don't know why were even bothering looking here. Monroe is long gone by now, and if he's not, he's a fool," one soldier said to the other.

The other spoke up, "How on earth did he even survive that execution?"

"Truman is saying it was Gene Porter and the rest of his family."

"That makes sense I guess considering they were responsible for carrying out the execution."

Jason & Connor looked at each other. Jason shot out the bushes back towards the house. He had to let his dad know that they now have to change their strategy.

Connor ran right behind him. He had to let everyone know that Jason & Tom would now know Monroe was alive, and that they were the ones who saved him. Little did he know, Tom & Jason already knew exactly what had happened.

When Connor got back to the house, Jason was already inside with his father. They were off in another room, so he quickly informed Miles, Rachel, Gene, and Charlie what was going on.

Miles spoke first, "Shit. Well, it was going to happen sooner or later."

"So, should we tell them I'm his kid," Connor asked.

"I think once they see the two of you together they'll put two and two together. You look similar, and you act a lot alike." Everyone was surprised to hear Charlie suggest that. They all looked at her questioningly. "What?" She didn't see what the problem was.

"You know them both that well," Rachel asked.

Charlie just rolled her eyes. "So should I go get him?"

Miles responded, "Yea. Connor, you go too. I know Bass wants to see you. Also if there are patrols out, we should only go out in groups from now on." Charlie and Connor started to move out the house, but Miles stopped them, "Nobody mention Duncan or her men. For now, that stays between us." They nodded and left.

—

"These damn Patriots are fools." Tom was furious. So much for the element of surprise.

"So what are we going to do now," Jason asked.

"Well, I'm sure they'll bring him out now. God knows where they've been hiding him. We'll make our move tomorrow. You'll keep the group distracted, and I'll get him alone and take him out."

"Are you sure you can handle it dad?"

Tom was pissed, "You watch your mouth boy. I took that man down once, I can surely do it again."

Jason nodded, knowing his place.


	10. Chapter 10: Love Triangle, Pt 2

Charlie and Connor were quickly making their way through the woods. They weren't sure exactly where Monroe was, so they went to where Mile & Charlie had met him before. When they got there, Charlie spotted his trail. He had done a good job covering it, but she was better at tracking than he was at concealing his tracks.

They spotted a small fire a ways through the trees. As they got closer, they could hear grunts. At first they thought it was a fight, so they sped up a bit. But once they got closer, they made out exactly what was going on. It was Duncan & Monroe, and they clearly weren't fighting.

At that exact second, Connor took a step and a twig snapped, Duncan & Monroe shot up and spotted Connor and Charlie. This was an odd twist of events seeing as Monroe had just spotted the two of them doing the same just a few nights before.

"Well, isn't this interesting," Connor laughed.

Charlie appeared hurt. Monroe read her expression clear as day. He had let her down, and he knew it. He jumped up and began gathering his clothes, but before he could finish getting dressed, Charlie had already darted back towards the house. Connor had let her go. He knew the thought of them disgusted her, so he knew that the actual site of it must've just freaked her out. If he only knew what was really running through her mind.

"Where are you rushing off to Sebastian," Duncan asked jealously.

He could hear the bitterness in her voice. "I'm not just going to sit here…like this…in front of my kid." He needed to convince her that Charlie catching them didn't bother him.

"Oh don't let me interrupt. I can come back," Connor replied with a sly smirk.

"What are you doing here, Connor," Bass asked as he continued throwing on his clothes.

"Gee, hi dad. Good to see you're well. I'm fine thanks."

"Connor, you caught me by surprise. I'm sorry you didn't get the reunion you expected, but I'm half dressed, so what do you expect." Bass couldn't believe what a little brat Connor was being. "Again, what are you doing here?"

"Well, you see, Jason & I we're out hunting, and we overheard a patrol discussing your good friendship with the Matheson's and how they saved your life and all." Bass just stared at him. "They know your alive, pops."

"Lovely," he replied. "Duncan, get dressed. Better we deal with this now."

She started to get up, but Connor spoke quickly. "Actually, Miles doesn't want Duncan to come. We don't want Tom & Jason knowing just yet that you're here with your tribe."

Duncan nodded, understanding completely why they needed to be kept a secret. As she made her way back to some of her tribe, she couldn't help but think of Charlie's reaction to seeing her & Bass. She knew she was right before. There was something going on there. She'd keep her eye on it for now, but she wasn't going to just hand Bass back over that easily.

—

Charlie ran as quick as she could. Trying with all her might to erase that image from her mind. It was bad enough knowing it had happened, but seeing it? She was hurt. She felt weak and vulnerable. She stopped for a second and thought. Why did she feel vulnerable? Why? Why? Why? She asked herself over and over again, several different possibilities running through her mind. Then it hit her. She cared for Bass…Had she just…? When did that…? No. The previous night she was contemplating whether or not she even wanted to be his friend, or if she might be feeling something else. She clearly had too much time on her hands. There was too much thinking going on. She wanted them to start fighting again so she could get her mind off things. She continued on towards the house, unable to stop her thoughts. She forgave him. That she would no longer deny. She cared for him? Maybe…maybe. Could she answer that question now? Then she thought back to how this whole inner dialogue began. She hated that he was with Duncan. She loved that Duncan was jealous of her relationship with him even though it didn't exist. She did care for him. There was no more denying it. Things were changing quickly between them, and then she finds him with Duncan. She stood still, very still, staring at the ground on the verge of tears. She looked up and saw the house in the distance. She composed herself and continued towards it.

—

Bass & Connor moved just as quickly through the woods. They didn't want Charlie out there on her own with Patriot patrols wandering around. They remained mostly quiet throughout the small trek.

Bass couldn't help but think of Charlie's face when she saw him & Duncan. The more he thought of it, the more he questioned just how upset she was. If she were just disgusted, she would have made some sarcastic remark. But she was upset. Genuinely upset. So upset that she ran off. Could she…? No. He would long for her from afar and not get his hopes up for anything more. He didn't deserve her. She deserved better. She hated him. She tried to kill him. He was telling himself anything he could to forget his feelings for her.

—

When Connor & Bass arrived back at the house, everyone was sitting in the living room, except Charlie. She had apparently already returned to her room for the night. Though the thought of why she had lingered in everyone's mind, no one gave it too much thought considering the gravity of what else was happening.

"Well, if it isn't the former leader of the Monroe Republic himself. Ya know, I had a feeling you wouldn't just die that easily." Tom was taunting him.

"What's your angle Tom? You're never looking out for anyone other than yourself. I've watched you turn on your own kid before. So why don't you spare us all the time, and just come right out with it," Bass replied.

"They killed my wife, Jason's mother. I'm no fool. I know it wasn't you who dropped those bombs. You were to busy running away from me and my army."

Bass was pissed. Tom was trying to push his buttons, and he knew it.

Miles chimed in, "Look, there's no use in fighting each other. Not when we want the same guys dead. Let's just all settle into bed for the night, and we'll talk more tomorrow."

As they began to walk out the room, Jason stopped everyone. "Wait a second. How do you two know each other?" His words were directed to Connor and Bass. He could tell they had more than just acquaintances.

Connor and Bass looked at each other.

Bass rolled his eyes, and relented, "He's my son."

"Well isn't that something," Tom said slyly.

Bass looked like he was about to kill Tom. Miles spoke up before anyone said anything else, "That's enough. Everyone out. Calm down, and we'll regroup tomorrow."


	11. Chapter 11: Assassin

*Warning* Cliffhanger ahead. Don't hate me, lol. After quite a few chapters of quite a bit of talking, I thought it was time to dive back into a little action, albeit not a lot. Let me know your thoughts. And as always, Happy Reading! :)

* * *

Charlie was the first one up in the morning. She went to bed before anyone else the night before. She headed outside to get some air. She wanted to stay out of sight in case anyone else got up. She just wasn't in a mood to talk to anyone. Not long after she settled outside, she spotted Bass leaving. She knew exactly where he was going, back to Duncan. As she lost sight of him, she couldn't help but feel like a fool. She had opened up to him. He had made her feel something she hadn't felt in many months…hope. It had only been a few days since their "talk", but he was almost….saving her. She was trying not to be so vulnerable, but this was affecting her. Knowing he was going to be with someone else had caused her to feel alone all over again. She admitted to herself that she had begun to need him, and she liked having someone to herself. It was upsetting to think she might lose him. How did this happen? A few months ago she wanted to kill him, and now she was depending on him? She needed him? She knew it was happening fast, but that night when they spoke, she realized that right now, he knew her better than anyone else, and she needed someone who understood her.

Not long after she watched him disappear into the tree line, she spotted Tom leaving the house. He seemed to be walking in the same direction as Bass. She knew that could not be a coincidence, so she decided to follow him. A while later, she realized that they were headed for the same location where she witnessed Duncan & Bass' little tryst the night before. She tried not to think of seeing them together again.

Tom finally stopped. She saw that he was staring at the camp where Duncan & Bass had been staying. She didn't have a good view of what he was doing though, so she decided to move to the opposite side of the camp, so she could watch both Tom and Duncan & Bass.

"Duncan, wake up." Bass began packing up their stuff.

"What took you so long, Sebastian?"

"Look, I want to get you and the men a little farther out. I really don't trust Tom & Jason. They know I'm alive now, and that Connor is my son. And Jason & Connor saw Patriot patrols not too far from here."

"Why didn't you come back last night," Duncan asked, completely ignoring what Bass had just said.

Bass ignored her and continued packing up their camp.

She pressed on, "I know there is something up with you and that girl. I could read it on her face last night…" He stopped moving and thought back to the night before. She continued, "...and I can see it on your face now."

Bass turned to look at her, "Look, I have fun with you, but I'm not about to get wrapped up in a relationship. I'm sorry I can't give you what you clearly want, but I promise, you don't need to worry about Charlie. Like I said before, she tried to kill me. She slept with my son. She doesn't want me. You have nothing to worry about. I don't know what I need to say to convince you otherwise."

"She doesn't want you…but you want her."

"I don't know what I want, Duncan. I just know that THAT is something that is unattainable." They stared at each other. Bass knew that after this conversation & Charlie's reaction last night that Duncan would surely leave and forget about helping them. "So, I guess this means you're leaving?"

Tom was too far off to hear what they were saying, but Charlie was close enough. She couldn't believe what was transpiring. Bass hadn't said he wanted her, but when Duncan suggested it, he didn't deny it. Was it possible he felt what she felt? Was he as confused as she was? She was suddenly quite happy that she had decided to follow Tom. "TOM," she thought. She had been distracted by Bass & Duncan's conversation and had stopped watching him. When she looked over to where he was hiding before, she realized he had moved. She began to panic. When she finally spotted him, she watched him raise his gun.

"Not quite," Duncan continued. "I'll stick around a while longer. I need to make sure my tribe will be safe. But this thing you and I have…."

"BASS! Look out!" Charlie was running & pointing in the direction of Tom. Bass turned around shocked to see Charlie was there, not entirely processing what she was warning him of. Duncan on the other hand immediately darted in Tom's direction.

—

A few moments after the gun went off, Duncan had reached Tom, though he had already begun to try to get away. She knocked him to the ground just as some of her men appeared. They had heard the shots, and they weren't far off. When they had arrived, they knocked him out, making it easier to restrain him. They made their way back to Bass & Charlie.

—

Charlie had just reached Bass when Tom's gun went off. She threw herself into him, hurling them both to the ground. When they hit the ground, Charlie rolled off of him. She sat up and quickly scanned him for any wounds, and she was pleased to see she had reached Bass in time. But she suddenly felt very dizzy, and it showed.

"Charlie?" Bass saw the look on her face. He sat up and quickly looked her over. To his dismay, he saw that she had be shot in the shoulder. "Oh, god. Charlie!" At that moment, she fell back to the ground…unconscious.


	12. Chapter 12: Reactions

_Hi folks! You'll notice towards the end of this chapter, I rewind to someone's inner thoughts during the previous scene. I just wanted to clarify that in case anyone got confused. Happy Reading! :)_

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By the time Duncan and her men arrived back to the site of the shooting, Bass & Charlie were gone. Unsure of what had happened, she made her way towards the house with Tom in tow.

—

The moment she fell to the ground, panic set in. Bass shook her. "Charlie, please, please stay with me!" Nothing. He scooped her up quickly as if she weighed nothing. He started towards the house with Charlie slouched in his arms. He thought of nothing other than getting her to Gene as quick as he could. While running faster than he ever had, he did his best to apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.

When he had finally gotten back to the house, he kicked the front door open. "GENE! HELP!" He made his way to the kitchen, using his leg to get everything off the kitchen table. As cups and plates tumbled to the floor, he laid Charlie on the table. He was nearly on top of her as he continued applying pressure to her shoulder.

He continued yelling, "Gene! Rachel! Miles! Anyone! Help! Please!" He was nearly in tears. Finally, he could hear someone running down the stairs.

"Jesus, Bass it's not even 8…." As Miles turned the corner, he saw Bass pressing down on Charlie, blood all over his hands. "Oh, God."

Gene & Rachel appeared behind him.

"Oh God," Rachel nearly fell at the sight of Charlie unconscious.

"Rachel, go grab my bag." Gene ran towards Bass & Charlie. "Where was she shot," he asked Bass.

"In the shoulder."

"Ok, keep applying pressure." He turned to his daughter, "Rachel!" Gene realized she wasn't moving. She was in shock. "Miles, go get my bag. Now!" He turned his attention back to Charlie & Bass. "We're going to need to roll her over, I need to see if the bullet went all the way through." Gene inspected the back of her shoulder. The bullet was still in her. "Keep applying pressure." Gene spotted Jason & Connor, who had heard the commotion and made their way to the kitchen. "Connor, go run and get some water. Jason, get some towels. NOW!"

When Bass turned and saw Jason, he leaped off of Charlie and sprinted towards Jason. Gene immediately took Bass' place, and continued applying pressure to Charlie's wound. Bass flew in the air and threw down the hardest punch he ever had. Jason surprisingly fell to his knees. He wasn't quite knocked out, so Bass threw one more hard punch. With that, Jason fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" Connor didn't understand what was going on.

Miles ran back into the room. He saw Jason on the ground, with Bass fuming beside him. As he handed the bag to Gene, he turned back to Bass. "What the hell happened?"

"Tom….Tom…" Bass slowly backed up, starting to realize the gravity of the situation.

Miles knew he wasn't going to get the full story at that moment, but he realized what most likely happened. He turned to Connor, "Water. Now!" As Connor ran to get the water, Miles ran to get some towels.

Bass made his way to a chair not far from the table where Charlie was sprawled out. He just sat their staring down at the blood on his hands. He was trying to sort through his thoughts.

Rachel had apparently tuned back into reality, because she was now helping Gene. They were working very carefully but quickly.

Connor & Miles ran back to the kitchen handing the towels & water to Gene & Rachel. They then turned their attention to Jason, who was still on the floor.

"Connor, go get some rope from the barn. We should probably tie him up." Miles then directed his attention to Gene & Rachel. "Is she ok?"

Gene responded calmly, "The bullet didn't go all the way through, but we were able to remove it. We're just stitching and cleaning her up now. Thankfully, she didn't lose too much blood. She'll probably be out a few hours, but right now, she looks like she's going to be ok." He turned to Bass. "Getting her here as quickly as you did and applying constant pressure…you may have saved her life. Thank you."

Rachel also turned her attention to Bass, "Thank you…but can you please tell us what happened?"

Though he was listening carefully to what everyone was saying, Bass was staring at the ground, still unresponsive.

At that moment, Connor walked in with rope from the barn. Duncan soon followed with 2 of her men & Tom. Everyone turned to see the stranger escorting Tom in the house. Connor realized his father wasn't going to speak up, so he took care of introductions.

"So Duncan, do you mind filling us in on what happened," Miles asked.

"Well, Sebastian & I were packing up camp when Charlie came darting out of the trees screaming and pointing towards Tom, who was raising a gun. I ran over to him, but the gun went off before I could reach him. I think he was trying to shoot Sebastian, but it appears the girl really didn't want that to happen."

Everyone just stared at her dumbfounded. They all began exchanging questioning glances. When they all looked over to Bass, they saw his eyes were now glued to Charlie. He was sitting very still, watching her closely.

Rachel spoke up, "You mean to tell me my daughter, the same one who tried to kill Monroe just a few months ago, took a bullet for him?" She didn't believe what Duncan was saying.

"It would appear that way." Duncan was quickly figuring out that no one in that room had a clue as to what was going on between Sebastian & Charlie. She figured she best not get involved. "Look, we need to get him tied up," she said pointing to Tom. She then glanced down at Jason. "I'm going to assume that's his son. We should get him tied up too."

Miles agreed, "Yea, let's get them into the basement. We'll question them later."

Duncan sent her men off, seeing that there were already enough people in the house. As she, Miles, Gene, & Rachel began moving Tom & Jason to the basement, Connor walked over to his father. "Are you ok?"

That woke Bass from his thoughts, "I…have no idea."

—

When Bass stepped back from Jason, it finally hit him what was happening.

He heard Miles yell, "What the hell happened?"

"Tom….Tom…" He suddenly found his thoughts colliding rapidly, unable to sort through them properly. He spotted a chair near the table where Gene & Rachel were working on Charlie. He sat down and looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood, Charlie's blood. His thoughts immediately went to a dark place. What would he do if she died? He'd fall back to where he once was, right back down the rabbit hole. No, she couldn't die. He couldn't….he couldn't live…without her. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He realized in that moment that he loved her. He was in love with Charlotte Matheson.

He heard Gene speaking to those in the room, "The bullet didn't go all the way through, but we were able to remove it. We're just stitching and cleaning her up now. Thankfully, she didn't lose too much blood. She'll probably be out a few hours, but right now, she looks like she's going to be ok. Getting her here as quickly as you did and applying constant pressure…you may have saved her life. Thank you."

Rachel then spoke to him, "Thank you…but can you please tell us what happened?"

He couldn't respond. His thoughts had taken over him. He could live without her loving him in return, but he could not live if she died. He was so thankful that she was ok. He would do anything for her. Though he could live without reciprocation of those feelings, he wondered if she ever could.  
He then began to think of how she tried to save him…she did save him. She took a bullet for him. Why? Why would she do that? She tried to kill him. She slept with his son. He didn't understand. Was it possible she felt something…anything for him? That couldn't be possible. She hated him. But she saved him. As much as he hoped she felt something for him, he didn't want to give himself any false hope.

He then heard Connor speaking to him, "Are you ok?"

"I…have no idea."

* * *

_So what do y'all think about this little plot twist? Let me know! Critiques are extremely helpful! Thanks in advance! :)_


	13. Chapter 13: Motive

_Just a heads up, most of the following scenes are happening simultaneously. I jump back to the end of the last chapter at the start of each scene. Happy Reading! :)_

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Now that Charlie was stable, Rachel, Gene, & Miles made their way outside.

Rachel spoke first, "What on earth is going on?"

Miles responded, "I have no idea. Charlie's a smart girl. If she did what she did to save Bass, she must've had a good reason."

Gene chimed in, "What possible reason could she have for wanting to save him?"

"Well, she did ask me to save him back when we were about to execute him. I'm still not sure entirely why she asked me then, but I'm assuming the motives for each action were the same."

Gene persisted, "But why? And what was she doing out there anyway? And why did she run in so suddenly last night without so much as a word to anyone? Didn't she go to get Monroe? Why did she come back alone? Why did she seem upset? What the hell is really going on?"

"That was a little strange, her running in like that last night. I know she's going through some stuff. Bass told me that when he talked to her he was concerned that she was going down the same path he did after he lost his wife and baby."

Rachel interrupted him, "Wait, what? He's concerned for her now? And Charlie will never be what he was. She's not that weak."

"I know that, Rachel," Miles continued. "I think he knows that too. He's just worried about how ready she is to die. And I think that after today, he's rightfully concerned, and maybe we should be too."

Gene jumped in, "I've been saying for a while now that I don't like what she's becoming, and suddenly he says it and the two of you pay attention?"

"Dad, I think Charlie taking a bullet for him is what's opening our eyes."

"Look, I think instead of asking each other these questions, we should be asking Charlie & Bass…." Miles was about to continues when he heard Bass.

"Everyone, come quick! Charlie's starting to wake up!"

—

Duncan & Connor made their way to one of the bedrooms, leaving Bass & Charlie alone in the kitchen.

"So is that really what happened?" Connor thought Charlie hated his dad. He didn't understand why she'd try and save him.

"Yea. Your father and I were speaking about…." She stopped herself, realizing that she didn't want to get involved in whatever secrets Charlie & Bass were keeping. She continued, "It happened quite fast. I didn't even see that she had been hit. I just sprinted after Tom."

Connor took a minute to process what was going on, then he realized that Duncan hadn't finished. "Talking about what?"

"Excuse me?"

"You and the old man what were you two talking about?"

"Is that really important?"

"Since you're avoiding the subject, it is now." Connor didn't know what she would say, but he could sense he wouldn't like it.

"Your father is using me. I might not have noticed before, but I did last night and again today."

"What about last night would make you think that?"

Duncan knew where this was going. She felt bad for the kid, so she decided she'd ease into it. "Didn't you notice how quickly the girl ran off?"

"Yea, she was just repulsed at the idea of the two of you being together."

"I don't know if it was just that," she said suggestively.

Connor realized what she was suggesting, but quickly refuted the idea. "She hates him. You just don't know them."

"She just took a bullet for him Connor," she replied sharply.

"Ok, so suppose she feels something…" Connor couldn't even believe what he was thinking. "No. Just no. And even if she did, that doesn't mean he does too."

"You're getting warmer kid. Just reverse the roles."

Connor looked confused. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but before he could ask her anything else, he heard his father yelling, "Everyone, come quick! Charlie's starting to wake up!"

—

Down in the basement, Tom had woken up. "Jason." No movement. "Jason!" He began to wake up. Tom continued, "We have to get out of here now."

"What the hell did you do? Why is Charlie the one bleeding and not Monroe? Was that part of your plan, Mr. I already took him down once?"

"Watch it boy! She jumped in the way. That girl may be even more messed up than you are. She must've spotted me, because I heard her screaming, then I watched her tackle him to the ground out of the way of the bullet."

"You mean to say she tried to save him?"

"And I thought you were weak. This girl is on a whole other level."

"Dad, you must've missed something. Monroe killed her family. There's no way she would take a bullet for him."

"Son, I saw what I saw. Now we need to get out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere with you. You said you could handle it, and instead you shot Charlie. Plus, they've got us tied up pretty good. We're not getting out of this."

"I didn't shoot her on purpose Jason."

"But you shot her!"

They both heard Monroe yelling, "Everyone, come quick! Charlie's starting to wake up!"

They knew it wouldn't be long now before everyone was interrogating them. Tom tried to break free of the ropes, but Jason just sat there sullenly.

—

Everyone had left the room. Bass was alone with Charlie now. He looked around to make sure no one was coming back. He stood out of his chair and walked towards her, closely watching her chest as it rose and fell. She looked so peaceful. He was so happy to know she would be ok. He grabbed her hand.

"Charlie? Charlie?" She was still out. He bent forward, moved the hair back from around her face, and kissed her forehead. "What were you thinking? You shouldn't have protected me like that. I should be protecting you." His eyes started to water.

"Charlotte, there is so much I need to say to you. When you wake up, I promise I will explain everything. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about Duncan. I'm so sorry you had to see everything that you did. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. Charlie began to moan a little, and her eyes began to flutter open.

"Charlie? Can you hear me?"

She wasn't immediately responsive.

He began shouting, "Everyone, come quick! Charlie's starting to wake up!"

Everyone quickly made their way back into the room. Bass quickly let go of her hand before anyone saw. He backed away as Gene, Rachel, & Miles moved to Charlie's side.

"Charlie, can you hear me," Rachel asked.

"Mom?"

"Yea. It's me." Rachel began to cry softly.

"How are you feeling," Gene asked.

"I'm a little sore, but I'm ok I think."

Gene continued, "I'm surprised to see you're up this soon. I thought you'd be out another couple hours, but now that you're awake, you should probably eat a little."

Charlie nodded. She began to try to sit up, but struggled a little. Miles & Rachel helped her, holding her back with their arms so she could lean against them. She then realized she hadn't known what had happened to Tom. "Where's Tom," she asked urgently.

Monroe jumped in, "Duncan caught him. Him & Jason are tied up in the basement. Charlie, you should've never done what you did…but thank you. You saved my life."

"Just returning the favor," she said with a grin. He smiled back at her.

"What were you thinking, kid," Miles asked.

"I don't know. Maybe I wasn't. I just saw Tom raise his gun, and I did the first thing that came to my head."

Rachel had a look of disbelief on her face, "And your first instinct was to knock Monroe out of the way of a bullet?"

Charlie looked down. She knew why she had done it, but she wasn't about to tell anyone. "I guess I just don't think we can afford to be loosing anyone. We're already the weaker side. I don't think we want to lose our most homicidal man."

Miles almost giggled. The Charlie that everyone knew was back.

However, Duncan was not buying it. She rolled her eyes. "What do you say we let the girl rest and go question the person who actually did the shooting?"

Miles, Rachel, Gene, Bass, & Charlie looked over to see where Duncan & Connor had been standing. They were so quiet that everyone else in the room had forgotten they were there.

Miles looked back at Rachel, "Yea, it's time we got back down there and find out what's actually going on with those two. Bur first, let's get Charlie upstairs to bed."


	14. Chapter 14: Interrogation

_Another little rewind in this chapter. I hope it makes sense. Let me know what y'all think! Also, I really need some critiques as far as the direction of the story is concerned. Happy Reading! :)_

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Miles & Rachel carried Charlie up to her bedroom, and laid her down.

Gene followed with a tray of food. "Before you go back to sleep try to eat something."

She nodded. As they made their way out the room, Charlie's thoughts took over.

—

Gene, Miles, Rachel, Bass, Connor, & Duncan headed down to the basement to begin questioning the Neville's. When they arrived downstairs, they saw that both gentlemen were now awake, still completely restrained in their chairs.

Miles began, "So which one of you is going to tell me what you're actually doing here?"

"Oh, just getting rid of that cockroach that won't seem to die," Tom spat back.

Bass lunged forward and grabbed him by the neck. "You're lucky Charlie's ok, or you'd be dead already, you son of a bitch."

"Bass!" Miles pulled him off Tom. Bass was still fuming, totally ready to put a bullet through Tom's head. Miles continued, "He's right though, Tom. You either start talking now, or you're dead."

"It's not my fault the girl got in the way," Tom insisted.

"That isn't what I asked you." Miles stared him down. Tom only stared back. Refusing to say another word.

Duncan jumped in, "Okay, I don't have time for this." She pulled out her gun, walked up to Jason, and placed it flush against his forehead. "One of you, start talking now!"

Jason finally spoke up, "Will someone please control her. I'll tell you everything."

"Duncan, put down the gun. There's a long list of those who want to kill these two, so get in line. Besides, Tom here has no problem sacrificing his own son if it means getting ahead," Bass interjected.

Duncan lowered the gun and backed up.

"Ok, then Jason. Get talking," Miles said.

Tom quickly started before Jason could get a word out, "Son, think long and hard before you say anything else."

"Dad, she's probably already dead. And if she isn't, they'll kill us as soon as they finish with us. We don't stand a chance on our own."

"That's the spirit, Jason," Bass said with a sarcastic smirk. "Now keep talking. Who's probably dead?"

Jason continued, "After we realized my mom was dead because of the bombs the Patriots dropped, my dad wanted us to climb the ranks of the US, get close to the President, and take him out. Problem is, they figured us out. They sent me to a re-education camp, and dad got sent elsewhere."

Before he could continue, Gene jumped in, "Re-education camp?"

"Yea, that'll be something y'all will want to keep in mind. They're looking for young people like me, Charlie, and Connor. They're using some sort of behavioral drug to alter the minds of the soldiers. I was basically a zombie, killing anything in my way. They're bad…real bad."

"How do we know you're still not drugged up," Connor asked.

"Because if I were, you'd all be dead already."

"That's an awfully confident statement," Duncan replied.

"Trust me. When you see these guys, you'll see you can't do this on your own….by the way, who the hell are you," Jason asked.

Tom interrupted, "Other than being Monroe's little girlfriend, who are you? And who were those men with you earlier?"

Miles jumped back in, "We're the ones asking questions Tom. Not you. We'll talk more about those re-education camps later, but Jason, get to the point. Why'd your father try to kill Bass?"

"Well, he somehow managed to find me. He flushed the drugs out of my system, and we worked our way up the ranks quickly."

Bass cut in, "Why does that not surprise me?"

Jason rolled his eyes and continued, "We were moving to our new base, and we spotted my mom. She was alive, well, and married to the man next in line to the chief of staff. She said she thought we were dead, that's why she got re-married. She said she wanted to be with us, but still wanted the status of being an elite member of society. I love my mother, but my father is too blind to see that my mother will use whoever she has too to get what she wants. So we stuck around to try and take out the President. We got re-stationed at the White House. Her husband, the new chief of staff, figured out everything. Then the President took my mom and said he'd kill her if we didn't kill Monroe and bring back his body. He seems to think that we have more knowledge on Monroe than anyone, so he wanted to use us."

"And you idiots believed that he wouldn't kill her the second you left and kill the two of you the second you returned," Bass said furiously.

"I weaseled my way in once, I could do it again," Tom replied.

Rachel finally spoke up, "You were stationed in the White House, and Julia was married to the chief of staff?" Everyone turned to look at her, confused as to why out of everything Jason said, she was interested in that. She continued. "Honestly, I'm impressed." Everyone was shocked.

Jason went on, "Look, I'm really sorry that Charlie got hurt. You all know that's the last thing I wanted. I'm sorry we lied when we got here. I knew it was stupid to think we'd be okay after all of this, but if you guys let us, we could help each other. I know what their plans our. That's how we were caught. I snuck into the Chief of Staff's office and read most of his files. If we could get enough men together, we could really take them down. The only thing we'd need to worry about are their programed soldiers. They won't be easy to take on."

Miles & Bass sent each other questioning glances, not wanting to speak in front of Tom & Jason. Tom had been surprisingly silent throughout most of this, and Miles was curious. "Well, Tom. Anything? Anything at all?"

"I don't expect you to help us, but my wife doesn't deserve what's happening to her. Despite what I tried to accomplish, Jason & I both knew that we didn't really have a chance. But Jason's right, we can help you. We know the ins and outs of what goes down at the White House, and Jason knows some of their plans. We could take them down if we had enough help."

"Well, I think we've heard enough for one night. Connor will bring you two some food in a bit, and we'll talk again tomorrow," Miles said.

The gang walked back up to the living room.

"I don't trust them one bit," Bass insisted.

"Me either," Gene agreed.

Duncan & Connor nodded in agreement.

Rachel had a different opinion. "They were in the White House! Do you realize how valuable that could be? If we have enough men, this whole resistance doesn't seem so outlandish anymore."

Miles agreed, "Rachel's right. I still don't trust them, but they know a lot more than we do. And Duncan, if you're in, we may just have enough men."

They were all silent for a minute, trying to process what was being proposed.

"I'm not ready to make a decision tonight, but I'll think about it," Duncan replied. She wanted to speak with her men first, plus she wasn't sure if she had even brought enough of them with her.

"That's all I'm asking for…Bass?"

"I'll think about it," he replied sternly.

With that, the group dispersed to settle in for the night and think about the day's events.

—

Charlie was still trying to process the morning's events. She had heard everything Bass & Duncan said.

She replayed the conversation in her head, "She tried to kill me. She slept with my son. She doesn't want me." "She doesn't want you…but you want her." "I don't know what I want, Duncan. I just know that THAT is something that is unattainable."

He didn't deny what Duncan was suggesting. What exactly was Duncan suggesting? Duncan first thought there was something between them back in New Vegas, and maybe she was right. She saw it before either Charlie or Bass saw it, but now she might just be right.

Charlie had begun to question her own actions. She took a bullet for Monroe. She saved his life. He meant enough to her for her to risk her life to protect him. She reflected back on what he said to her earlier in the week. Find someone to live for. Living for someone meant fighting for them, protecting them…loving them. Could she love Sebastian Monroe? That was such a strong word, but it could be possible. She took a bullet for him. She appreciated his kindness in helping her sort through her feelings for hopelessness. He had protected her in the past. She was hurt knowing he may be with Duncan….the idea of Duncan and Bass just upset her so much. She had heard what they said to one another earlier in the day, but she wanted to speak to Bass herself. She had promised herself a few days before that she'd talk to him, but the crazy events that occurred had prevented that from happening. And now, her family would be watching her like a hawk. Plus, she knew they would surely question her endlessly about what she had done, conversations she was definitely not looking forward too.


	15. Chapter 15: Frustration

First thing in the morning, Rachel made her way to Charlie's room. Charlie was just lying in bed, awake, staring at the ceiling. When the door opened, she sat up. "Good Morning."

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Actually pretty good. Not nearly as sore as I was yesterday."

"That's good. So we talked to Tom & Jason last night…" Rachel quickly filled Charlie in on what was happening.

"So you think we should trust both of them," asked Charlie.

"I'm not sure, what do you think?"

"You can trust Jason. He's not stupid. He knows we're all prepared to kill him if he gets out of line. I'd untie him and let the rest of the group really get a feel for him. He's going to be our only chance of keeping Tom in line. But let Tom sweat it out another day or so. He needs to know we're serious."

"I think that's probably what we'll do. Charlie, there's something else I've been wanting to ask you about."

"Mom, if this is about why I did what I did yesterday…."

Rachel interrupted, "No, no. I understand why you did it, the same reason why you asked me to not execute him in Willoughby."

"Ok, then what did you want to talk about?"

"The other night, when you were supposed to go get Monroe with Connor, you came back alone, and you came straight up to your room. We were about to have a pretty big talk with Jason & Tom, and you just disappeared."

Charlie just stared off in the distance, completely unsure of how to respond. Images of that night flashed through her mind.

"Charlie?"

"I don't know. I just…" She knew she wasn't going to come up with a good excuse. "When Connor & I got there, Duncan and Monroe were…well, you know."

Rachel rolled her eyes in disgust.

"And that's exactly how I felt when I saw them. I guess I ran because it freaked me out. Then when I got back I dreaded having to speak with Connor or Monroe for fear of any awkward confrontations, so I just went straight up to my room. Plus, we knew Tom & Jason we're going to figure it out sooner or later, so I didn't feel like I had to be part of that conversation." Charlie was really hoping Rachel was buying it.

"Ok. Well then why did you follow him yesterday?"

"I didn't follow Bass. I followed Tom."

"Bass….?" Rachel was suddenly quite concerned.

"What?" The name rolled off her tongue so easily. Charlie didn't know how she'd respond to what was coming.

"Since when is he Bass, Charlie?"

"I don't know, mom. I just can't keep looking as him as the General I guess. Brings back too many memories." Charlie's tone was stern. She was frustrated that she would now have to explain herself. She started getting out of the bed and throwing on clothes. "Look, mom, I really don't want to talk about all of this now. I'm going to go get some water from the stream. I'll be back later." She hurried out the room quickly.

"Charlie!" Rachel was shouting.

"I said not now!" Charlie shouted back. The shouting had woken Duncan. She watched Charlie storm out the house and jumped up to follow her.

—

Rachel didn't know what to think about Charlie & Monroe, but she knew something was up. Too many weird things were happening. Charlie saved him and called him Bass. She'd talk to Charlie again once she calmed down. She walked down to the basement and both Tom & Jason were asleep. She quietly woke Jason, but signaled for him to stay quiet so Tom didn't hear. She untied him and led him upstairs.

"So you're going to help us?" Jason wasn't sure exactly what was going on.

"Charlie thinks we should trust you, so I do too. But your father on the other hand…I'm going to trust that you will only untie him once you're convinced that he won't try to kill anyone else."

"Ok. I might need a few days. He's really just worried about my mom, but I don't want him screwing up our best chance at getting her back. We can't do it alone."

Rachel replied, "I really hope that you believe that Jason."

—

Duncan came up on Charlie quite quickly, "Charlie! Wait up! Can I talk to you for a second?"

"What is it Duncan?" Charlie was still frustrated from her talk with her mom and wasn't in the mood to be questioned by Duncan too.

"Look, I know something is up with you & Sebastian, and I'm not one to be played."

"Duncan, I told you in Vegas there's nothing going on, and since then, nothing has changed." She still wasn't sure exactly what she even felt for Bass, and she didn't want to have to explain her feelings to anyone.

"You just saved his life," she replied sharply.

"I did exactly what you would have done."

"That's my point, kid."

Charlie knew she was right, she felt something for him, but she wasn't ready to admit that to Duncan. "Oh my god, Duncan, what are you suggesting then? You still think we're sleeping together. I assure you, he's only doing that with you." The words stung as they came out. She hated to think about that.

"You're in love with him! I don't know how no one else sees it. It's right in their faces. And how they don't see that he feels the same way is beyond me. He's so obsessed with you he might as well be sleeping with you too. It's the same damn thing!"

Charlie was shocked by her words. She hadn't been fully able to think that thought herself. She was becoming more confused than ever. She was getting anxious and irritated. "Sebastian Monroe is not in love with me."

"Notice how you didn't deny it. That's exactly what he did. The two of you are so obsessed with each other it's disgusting, and I can't believe I fell for his bull shit and came all the way out here."

Charlie was dumbfounded, but also furious. She hated that Duncan knew more when it came to her and Bass than she did. It made her angry with Bass too. Why was he speaking with Duncan about her instead of just speaking with her?

"I did not sign up for all of this. I'm taking my men, and I'm out of here."

"Well, don't let me stop you." Charlie was pissed. First her mom and now Duncan. She didn't want Duncan around if she was just going to be another person to criticize and question every move she made. They began walking quickly in opposite directions.

—

Bass opened up the barn doors. He had been staying there since the house was so full. At the same time, Jason was walking outside to look for Charlie. Bass saw Duncan walking off into the woods, so he decided to follow her. He knew that with the information Jason had provided, they needed her men more than ever, and the morning before, he was basically telling her she could leave.

He ran after Duncan. "Duncan! Wait!"

"Just stop. I'm so done with all of this. My men and I are leaving."

"You can't leave now. We have an actual chance at stopping the Patriots. Plus, you know damn well that as soon as the Patriots have built up their troops, they'll be all over the west coast and you and your tribe will cease to exist. And you heard Jason last night about those re-education centers. You need to stay. Not for me, but for your people. "

"Look, you want me to stay, then you start being honest with me. I've been honest with you, and I think I at least deserve that in return. No more manipulating me." Duncan knew she had to gain back the control.

Bass swallowed hard. He didn't know how Duncan was going to react to what he would say next. "I'm in love with her." He had a look of desperation in his eyes.

"Yea, no shit Sebastian."

"But like I said yesterday, nothing is going to happen. She doesn't want me."

"Are you blind? The girl just saved your life by risking her own! She's just as in love with you as you are with her."

Bass couldn't believe she was still stuck on this. "Why do you keep saying that? How can you possibly know that? You've spoken to Charlie all of about 5 times?"

"Because I just spoke with her, and it was written all over her face! Plus, you weren't the only one who saw her reaction to the two of us the other night."  
Bass wasn't convinced, but he wanted to speak with her immediately now. His hope of having Charlie now seemed possible no matter how hard he tried to restrain his feelings.

"It's annoying as hell hearing the two of you deny it left and right. Figure your shit out, and I'll be back in a month. But when I get back, if you lie to me again, I'll do it on my own. I can't handle this soap opera bull shit."

"Where the hell are you going?"

"To get more men. I only brought about 30, and that isn't enough to storm the White House. I'm going to try and round up some other clans and get us a real army."

"But you're coming back?"

"I'm not an idiot. I know they're coming for the west coast soon. I'll be back."

She walked off, leaving him standing alone in the woods.

—

Jason was standing by the front door, watching Charlie get closer and closer. He stood in the doorway to prevent her from entering.

"Charlie can we please talk?"

She was still fuming. "Jason, get the hell out of my way. I am not in the mood for an interrogation right now."

She pushed past him and made her way into the house. If one more person approached her, she was going to scream. She walked up to her room and began packing a bag. She decided that a day or two away from the house might be healthy. She needed to relax, and the people here weren't helping.

"Hey kid, can we talk?" Miles surprised her. He was standing in her bedroom doorway.

"Uncle Miles, this is not a good time. I've been questioned by 2, almost 3, of you already just this morning. I'm leaving for a few days, and I don't want you all following me. I need some peace." Charlie didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Everyone just wanted to ask a bunch of questions that she didn't yet have any of the answers to.

"Charlie you were just shot yesterday. You're not going anywhere."

"It's not your decision. If I'm not back in 3 days, come find me. And by the way, Duncan left. I'm sure you can guess why." Charlie knew that would keep them all busy while she was gone. She grabbed her bag and headed out the house before she could hear Miles say anything else.

—

By the time Bass got back to the house, he went straight to Charlie's room, hoping to finally speak with her. She wasn't there. Miles appeared behind him. "Just who I was looking for!"

"Miles, where's Charlie?" He had a sense of urgency in his voice.

"She just left. Something about a few people questioning her this morning. She said she'll be back in a few days."

Bass NEEDED to talk to her, and he didn't know how he'd be able to leave and go after her without raising more questions. "You let her leave in her condition?"

"I wasn't going to lock her in her room. She wanted to leave, so she left." Miles could sense that Bass really wanted to talk to her. "Why do you need to speak with her so bad," he asked quickly, almost daring Bass to say something he may regret. Miles knew why everyone else had been questioning Charlie, and since she wouldn't speak with him, he figured he'd ask Bass.

Bass wasn't sure how to reply without giving away his true emotions. "Um, nothing in particular. Probably just wanted to ask her what we've all be thinking, why the hell did she jump in front of that gun? What is it you wanted?" Bass tried to relax as he spoke. He knew Miles could sense something was up.

"Uh huh, sure. Oh, and nothing really. Just wanted to let you know that you're homicidal ex-girlfriend just took off with her war tribe. You said you were going to handle this Bass," said Miles sharply.

Bass wasn't sure why Miles thought Duncan had left, but he thought he may be able to use this to his advantage. He decided to play coy about the talk he just had with her. "So, she turned down the White House plan?"

"I guess. I have no idea what happened! Charlie had apparently just spoken with her before each of them left. Apparently, she didn't like being played. I told you to keep your shit together, and you screwed it up. Now get out there, chase her down, and convince her to come back."

This was too perfect. Bass now had an excuse to leave the house for a few days. He may be able to go find Charlie and finally explain things. He knew Duncan was coming back, so he had no need to worry about her. "Look, I'll go get her, but it may take a few days."

"Fine. We just got presidential level intel. Now is not the time to be loosing men."

Bass walked back to the barn, grabbed his back and hurried quickly into the woods. He hoped he could catch Charlie before she got too far.

* * *

_Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! They are seriously keeping me going. I still have about 5 or 6 more chapters I really want to get out, so it's not over yet. I know there have been some serious grammatical errors the past few chapters, that's mostly because I'm just not proofreading as carefully, because I'm moving so quickly. I know it could be better if I were taking my time. I just want to get everything posted before tonight. I'm going to try my best to get it done. I hope that even though I'm writing quickly, you all are still enjoying the story. _

_Don't forget to let me know what you think about the direction. Is it still realistic? I'm thinking that Charlie & Bass' emotions will evolve in this way. (I really hope Charloe is not just wishful thinking.) If they do, it probably won't be quite as quick as the pace I'm setting (within like a week or two of her sleeping with Connor). But I think it'll take them bonding over their mutual hopelessness and Charlie saving him in some extravagantly heroic way for each of them to completely re-evaluate their feelings. _

_That's all I've got for now. Thanks again for the reviews. I soooo appreciate that you are all taking the time to read this. It means a lot._

_HAPPY READING! :)_

_P.S.: A LITTLE spoiler I found on the show: _

_A reader of asked: I can't believe Revolution's Charlie hooked up with Connor! There's no way I imagined the chemistry between her and Monroe. Does this mean there's no hope for Charloe now?_

_TVline's response: "Never give up hope," executive producer Rockne S. O'Bannon responds. "Sure, Charlie and Connor are a natural hook-up. But there's no denying that Charlie and Monroe have history. And certainly that's on Monroe's mind. Stay tuned."_

_Oh, there is soooo still hope for CHARLOE! 8D_


	16. Chapter 16: New Friends

_Don't hate me, lol. Two more Charloe-less chapters before a whole lot of Charloe. I like these chapters though. For some reason, I find these types of chapters easier to write. I think it's because I'm so paranoid about wanting to make sure everything I write between Charlie & Bass is perfect. Anyways, I hope y'all like it. Happy Reading! :) _

* * *

After being so quickly dismissed by Charlie, Jason heads to get some rest. He heard the interaction between Charlie & Miles, so he decided to rest in her room since it was empty.

After about an hour or so of sleep, he woke to the sound of knocking on the door. "Come in."

"What the hell?" The door flew open. It was Connor. When he heard Jason's voice, he thought that he and Charlie were back together. He looked at Jason, who thankfully was still clothed. "Where's Charlie?"

"Don't worry, man. She took off for a few days. I knew her room was empty, so I came up to get some rest."

A surge of relief flushed over Connor. He had wanted to talk to Charlie about everything that had been going on, especially what Duncan had suggested to him. "Oh, sorry about that man." Connor was a little embarrassed that he had immediately appeared so jealous.

"It's all good man. I would've reacted the same way."

They both laughed.

"So can I ask you something, Jason?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Why do you think Charlie saved my dad?"

"I have no idea. I tried to talk to Charlie earlier, but she barely let me say hello. I was actually going to ask you about it. I haven't been around much the last few months, and clearly, you have. I was hoping that maybe you or someone else could answer that for me. Have you asked anyone else?"

"Sort of. I spoke with Duncan about it."

"Duncan? Is that the crazy woman who almost blew my brains out? Who the hell is she anyway?"

"I can't tell you who she is. That's not my decision. But her and my pops have a history…and they recently rekindled that history. I'd like to tell you she's harmless, but from what I've gathered in the short time I've known her, she's Charlie but about 10 years older."

Jason understood why Connor couldn't tell him everything. He needed to gain their trust back first. "It's cool man, I understand. So what did she say?"

"Well, she's been incredibly jealous of Charlie since we met her a few weeks back. At first, I thought it was totally laughable, but she brought up some really curious points about Charlie and Bass when we spoke."

Jason interrupted him, "Wait, why would she be jealous of Charlie?"

"She seems to think Charlie & Bass have an…intimate relationship."

Jason bursted into laughter. "She's only tried to kill the man 100 or so times, and he only murdered half her family."

"That's what I said. But then why would she save him like that? She risked her own life for his…" Connor let his words hang in the air, almost as if he was begging Jason to make sense of this for him.

"Look, I don't know why she did it, but that's definitely not the reason why. As much as I hate to bring it up, why would she hook up with you if she was also hooking up with your dad?"

"I don't know. But that wasn't Duncan's only reason for thinking that."

"Ok. I'll bite. But only because I find this topic completely absurd and quite hilarious."

Connor rolled his eyes, "After you and I came across that Patriot patrol the other night, Miles sent Charlie & I to go get my dad. When we found him, he was busy screwing Duncan. Charlie freaked out and literally sprinted back here. Remember how she wasn't in the room when we were discussing that you and your dad now knew, or so we thought, that he was actually alive? Wasn't that kind of a big discussion considering we thought that you thought he was dead?"

Jason thought that was strange, but he wasn't willing to believe that Charlie could possibly feel anything other than hatred for Monroe. He just sat there, unresponsive.

Connor continued, "There have also been little things I've noticed." Connor thought back to the one thing that he found the strangest. "So since I came to town, the old man has been trying real hard to get in good with me. He hadn't been around my entire life, so I didn't come here very willingly. But he was trying really hard. Yet, when he got back from Vegas after Charlie & I did, he spoke to her before anyone else, and she let everyone know he was back. Why didn't he come see me? Why go to the girl who hates you?"

Jason suddenly realized that this might not be such an crazy idea. "I don't know what is going on, but if those things really happened, then something is up. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past your father to try something on her. He used to be a sick, sadistic asshole, so he very well could still be. But I just don't believe that she'd ever return anything other than hate for him. There's got to be another reason why she did what she did."

"I really hope there is, because the thought alone has been freaking me out. We'll just have to ask her when she gets back."

Jason agreed. He then thought about how it was his father who tried to kill his new friend's father. Though he hated Monroe, he did like Connor, and he did feel some remorse. "By the way, I'm sorry we were planning on killing your dad. It was nothing personal, just trying to get my mom back."

"It's ok man. I lost my mom a while ago, so I know the feeling. Just promise you won't try that again."

"It's won't happen again. I know that we have a better chance with everyone else's help."

"You think you can keep your dad in line? He did shoot Charlie after all."

"Yea. Knowing he's lost control will eat at him a while, but once he's gotten over that, he'll succumb to whatever the group demands of him."

The two continued talking for a while longer, both enjoying the other's company. Despite everything that had happened, they were becoming good friends.


	17. Chapter 17: Suspicion

Miles knew something was up between Bass & Charlie. He had been wanting to talk to Rachel about it, but with the craziness of the last few days, and Gene always being around, he just hadn't found the time. With both Bass & Charlie out of the house, and Gene still in his room, Miles decided now was probably the best time.

Immediately after his little chat with Bass, he headed back to his & Rachel's room. She was staring out the window.

"Rachel, we really need to talk."

"Yea. I know." She turned to face him. She was not looking forward to this conversation. There were too many things she didn't want to face that she knew she would have to.

"Charlie left. So did Bass."

"They left together?"

"No! Duncan took off, so Bass went to try and convince her to come back, and Charlie was pissed about being questioned by everyone, so she took off for a few days. Did you talk her?" Miles wasn't sure who exactly Charlie was referring to earlier.

"Yes, I did. Something is up, Miles."

"I know. I think I have an idea, but you're not going to like it." Miles hated thinking about the idea that Bass & Charlie had formed some sort of an attachment, whether it be a friendship or anything else. Bass was always in danger. While he appreciated his friend looking out for his niece, he didn't need anyone using Charlie against him, for her own sake.

"Well, then it must be the same idea I'm having…." They stared at each other, each so badly not wanting to say what they were thinking. "I asked her about the other night and why she got back before Monroe and Connor. She said that her and Connor caught Duncan and Monroe together and that it grossed her out so she ran all the way back. I believe her that it was probably disgusting, but that was a bit of a turning point with Tom & Jason, and she just totally blew everyone off."

"I don't buy it. If Charlie was grossed out by something like that, she would've made some smart ass remark like she usually does…not sprint to her bedroom like a teenage girl with a crush."

"You think she's jealous?" Rachel wasn't prepared to commit to the idea.

"Don't you?"

"After hearing her talk about that night? Yes….Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm even thinking this." Rachel had to sit down. Her thoughts were overwhelming her.

"After the execution, actually, everything before we went and got Connor…they just seemed to be kind of friendly. I was ok with that. Having someone else look out for her is never a bad thing. But since he got back from Vegas with Duncan something else has been up."

"Have they spoken at all?"

"I have no idea. I haven't been watching them that closely. I know that the night he got back, they ran into each other in the woods on his way here. They spoke quite a bit apparently. I talked with Bass about it, not Charlie though. He just seemed concerned for her well being. I'm not sure what was said that night, but clearly something changed."

"The other day, you said he cared about her…you think he's actually feeling more than that?" Rachel couldn't believe what she was asking.

"For his sake, I hope not. When they first arrived in Willoughby, I asked if he had done something to her. He swore he would never touch her, and she said she'd never let him. I whole heartedly believed them both. I wouldn't put it past him to try something though. Ya know the one thing I can't figure out? He really seemed like he was starting to change, like Connor was helping him in the way Charlie helped me. I just don't think he'd throw that all away to mess around with Charlie."

"Miles, I agree, but we can get rid of Monroe if we have to. I'm more worried about what is going on in Charlie's head. She took a bullet for him."

"I don't think we'll ever know what's going on in her head. That girl is so stubborn. She isn't just going to open up to us about her feelings, Rachel. But I do think there is more to this than just her wanting to make sure we don't lose anyone. Something is going on with her. Maybe a few days away to clear her head will be good. When she gets back we'll talk to her together."

"I wish she wouldn't have left. She wasn't in that great of condition."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more, but she was adamant that she didn't want to be questioned by anyone else."

"Who else spoke with her?"

"Well, I know she spoke with Duncan, because Duncan told her she was leaving." After Miles said this, a small lightbulb went off in both his & Rachel's heads.

"Wait, what would Duncan say to her that would make her so upset?"

Rachel replied, "Why do women ever fight, Miles? Jealousy." She was disappointed. Yet another reason to be concerned.

"You think…" Miles couldn't even finish the sentence.

"I don't know what I think, but now I know we're speaking to her about this the minute she gets back, and we're not letting her go anywhere until she answers some serious questions."

They were both trying so hard to believe that they were just blowing things out of proportion, but the way things were adding up, it made sense…there might be something more going on with Charlie & Bass.


	18. Chapter 18: Charlotte & Sebastian, Pt 1

_You all have seriously been the best readers. Your feed back has been so helpful. I really hope everyone gets what they wanted out of these next two chapters! Happy Reading! :)_

* * *

Charlie had gotten a pretty good head start on Bass, but by late afternoon he had finally spotted her. "Charlie!"

Charlie stopped right where she was. She knew it was Bass, and she knew she wanted to talk to him, but she was suddenly afraid to face all the feelings she'd been thinking about the past few days. It got very real, very fast. She turned around slowly, and he made his way towards her. "What are you doing out here," she asked.

He wasn't ready to jump in head first quite yet, "I just didn't want you to be out here on your own. There's Patriot patrols…."

She was frustrated by his obvious attempt at concealing his real reason for coming. She knew he just wanted to ask the same questions everyone else did, so she interrupted him. "I'm already about 6 hours away, and that's why I'm going even further. And I don't need a babysitter. I'm an adult, so if that's why you really came, then you can turn around and walk right back." She turned around and continued walking.

"Charlie wait!" He ran up right behind her. She stopped, but she didn't turn around this time. "We need to talk. There is a lot that isn't being said that needs to be said. I have questions, and I also need to explain somethings to you."

She wasn't quite ready to stop, but didn't want to talk about something so serious while she was still traveling. She glanced over her shoulder at him, "Look, we can talk, but I'm not ready to stop yet. I want to get at least 4 more hours away. Either keep up, or go back." She returned to walking, and Bass quickly following behind her. They remained silent the rest of the journey.

—

It was now sunset, and they had finally reached a water source, a small lake. They scoped out a wide surrounding permitter and saw the entire area had long been abandoned. No one was around for miles. They took off their packs and started to set up camp.

"Charlie, why don't you start a fire, and I'll go get something to cook."

She nodded, and he walked back off into the woods. When he arrived back at camp, Charlie was leaning down messing with the fire. When she heard he was back, she stood up, and he watched as her hair flew behind her almost as if it were happening in slow motion. He couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she was.

They cooked and ate in silence. When they had finished, Bass spoke up first. He turned to look at her. "Charlie, I promised you that I wouldn't let you down, and I think that I have."

She remained silent, just staring at the fire.

"What you saw, me and Duncan…I was just doing what I had to to get us an army. I swear it was nothing more."

"Is that supposed to please me? You manipulating a woman with sex?" Charlie wasn't prepared to be honest with him yet, but she didn't mean to sound quite so mean. She just had her guard up.

"No! I just mean…" His words trailed off. He was unsure of how to explain himself. "When you saw us the other night, you just looked disappointed, that's all. I wasn't sure why, I just knew that I promised I wouldn't let you down, and at that moment, I knew that I had. I'm sorry."

Charlie remained silent again. She just didn't know how to handle herself or what to say.

Bass could sense something was wrong, so he tried to help ease her into conversation. "So why did you want to get so far away from everyone?"

"Before I could even make it downstairs this morning, I had everyone harassing me and questioning me. I just couldn't take it. I had to get out of there before I had any more confrontations."

"What were they harassing you about?"

Charlie looked up at him, realizing where this was about to go. She took a deep breath. "It would seem that no one believed the reason I gave for pushing you out of Tom's way."

"Who didn't believe you?" Bass was still holding onto a shred of hope that Charlie might feel something for him. Duncan was a fairly perceptive woman, and she brought up some good points earlier. Plus, Charlie had let him come out all this way with her. He just hoped that he wasn't holding on to false hope.

"My mom & Duncan. Jason & Miles both tried to talk to me too. I'm sure it was about the same exact thing, but I left before they could ask me anything else." Charlie paused a second. Why did Bass care who it was? "Why does it matter who didn't believe me?"

"Because I was questioned too."

Charlie knew who by. "It was Duncan, wasn't it? Let me guess, she's jealous of the relationship we have?"

Bass was surprised to hear Charlie speak about them as a "we". "We have a relationship?" He smiled.

She smiled back, "You know what I mean. She seems to think we do."

"Yea, I know. She had mentioned it more than once to me."

Charlie then remembered the moments before the shooting.

_"She tried to kill me. She slept with my son. She doesn't want me." "She doesn't want you…but you want her." "I don't know what I want, Duncan. I just know that THAT is something that is unattainable."_

"The morning that Tom tried to kill you, I was there for a while before he took the shot…."

He just stared at her not understanding what she meant.

She continued. "I heard what you were talking about. Us."

"Us?" Bass knew what she was talking about, but he wanted to hear what she had to say about it first.

"Yea. You said I tried to kill you. I was surprised you brought it up. I just want you to know…I'm not going to try to kill you again. We have long moved past that. I'm sorry that it happened, but I was in a rough place." She was really starting to open up.

"Charlie, I told you, you never need to apologize to me."

"That's not even the only thing I wanted to apologize for….I'm sorry I hooked up with Connor." Charlie had never been ashamed of that before, but now she was. Having to speak to Bass about it, knowing it affected him, made her wish she had never done it.

Bass looked away, not wanting to give away how he felt just yet. "Why would you be sorry for that?"

She was nervous. She didn't want to approach this like she just assumed he wanted her, because if he didn't, she would feel like a fool. "Well, you brought that up to Duncan too."

He looked back at her, his heart was racing. He was nervous he wouldn't get the outcome he was looking for. "Charlie, I remember the conversation….you can ask me what you really want to ask."

Charlie swallowed hard. This was her chance to find out what was going on with him. "You said that I was something that was unattainable, and that those were the reasons why. And Duncan said that you wanted me, but I didn't want you, and then you didn't deny it." They were staring each other directly in the eyes. Each so secretly terrified of being rejected and feeling like a fool. Charlie continued, "Bass, was Duncan right?"

"Yes." It came out so easy, but he didn't feel relief when he said it, only anxiety. Now, he was vulnerable. She knew how he felt, but he didn't know how she felt.

"You have feelings for me?" Charlie couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Yes."

"Romantic feelings?"

"Yes." He couldn't explain further. He was terrified that he'd say too much and scare her away. He was in love with her, and he wasn't sure she would ever want to hear that.

"Are you going to say anything other than just yes?"

He just stared at her.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Charlie, if Miles, Rachel, Gene, or Connor ever found out how I really feel about you, they'd kill me without thinking twice. And if they didn't kill me, they'd leave me. I'd be alone again. And I didn't even know how you would respond. I thought you'd try to kill me again if you found out…Hell, you still might try to kill me now that you know!" He was growing desperate. She still hadn't spoken about her own feelings on the matter.

"I told you, I'm never going to try to kill you again." She couldn't believe this was happening. For some reason though, she still didn't want to tell him how she felt. She believed him, but admitting what she felt for him was a big step for her. Thinking about it and actually being in the moment and experiencing it were very different. This was real, and it was scary.

But then she realized why she was scared….she loved him. She loved Bass. The admittance of that alone was something that had taken her so long to get to. Actually knowing that made the idea of them being together even scarier. She was scared that something would happen, and he'd change his mind. She decided to continue playing it safe. "How long have you…you know…"

"I'm not sure. I guess on our little trip to Willoughby I felt like a needed to protect you, and rightfully so. Once we got to Willoughby, I just continued to feel that way. That day at the school, as I was leaving, I thought about how I would feel if you were to die, and that terrified me, so I came back. And then when I saw you & Connor in Vegas…" He couldn't continue. He was slowly realizing just how much he loved her. He was so surprised he hadn't realized it sooner. He's clearly loved her for quite some time.

"You were jealous."

He had almost forgotten she was listening. He was so caught up in his own thoughts. He nodded.

"I'm really sorry I did. It didn't mean anything. I was just bored, and I didn't have anyone else."

"Charlie, why are you apologizing for that?" He was hoping for a specific response.

"Because I don't want to hurt you." She was feeling the anxiety now. She didn't know what would happen if she told him the truth.

"Why don't you want to hurt me?" He was holding on to his hope so desperately, looking deeper into her eyes with each question.

"Because I care about you."

"Charlie, is that why you saved me?"

She nodded. Even if she didn't love him in return, knowing she cared was enough. He smiled. His smile put her at ease, and she just went for it. "I couldn't imagine how I would feel if you would've died."

The desperation in his eyes turned into hope. "Charlie, what are you saying?"

She looked away, and then rose to her feet. This was all too real. She had just heard him say he had romantic feelings for her, but there was a part of her that felt they might not run as deep as her feelings did for him. After all, he had just used Duncan for sex. She didn't think he'd use her in the same way, but she was nervous, because she had never seen him in a real relationship before. She turned so that her back was to him and finally spoke. "Duncan was right."

"Yea, I know she was. I already told you how I felt." He stood up.

"No. She was right about what she said to me." Charlie was nearly in tears.

"Charlie, what did Duncan say to you?" He moved closer.

She turned around and they were staring each other down. "She said that I was in love with you!"

He took a step closer, "You're in love with me?"

"I think. I don't know."

"What does that mean, Charlie?" He was nervous she was just getting his hopes up for nothing.

This was it. Charlie somehow mustered up the courage to say what she had been feeling for days, but as she did, tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I think I'm in love with you. If I'm not, then I'm pretty damn close."

He frowned at the site of her tears, "Then why are you crying?" He stepped forward to wipe them from her cheeks.

"Because I'm scared."

"Of what."

"That you'll change your mind, or leave me, or you won't love me as much as I love you. I don't want to be that vulnerable." She was nearly balling her eyes out. She looked down.

Bass realized that he hadn't told her completely how he felt for the same reasons, and suddenly felt guilty and selfish. "Charlotte, I'm a selfish, foolish man."

She looked back up at him, "Why?"

"The reason I was so short at first was because I was afraid of what I might say and that it might scare you away." He smiled. "I've known that I was in love with you for a while now. The only reason I didn't say it was because I didn't want to feel that vulnerable. I feel guilty that I made you say it first, I just never dreamed that I would actually hear you say it."

She smiled. They started to laugh at how foolish they both were. He wiped away the rest of her tears. They stared into each others eyes. He grabbed her hands, lifted them to his mouth, and kissed them gently. "Charlotte Matheson, I love you. I've loved you for a very long time, and I'm so sorry I was so foolish." She smiled the biggest smile, which he returned almost immediately.

A gust a wind blew some of her hair into her face, so he pushed it back with his hand. They were staring so deeply into each other's eyes it was like they were looking into each other's souls. He leaned down and placed the softest kiss on her lips. He went to step back to look at her again, but she pulled him back. They kissed again, and again, and again. Tiny, but intimate pecks. Both practically giggling, because they were so happy.

"I feel like this is a dream," Bass finally said.

"I know," Charlie replied.

"I don't want us to rush this though. This is so perfect, I don't want to ruin anything." He was nervous she'd feel like he was pulling away.

"I couldn't agree more," she said with a smile.

He smiled back, relieved that she was ok with that.

They laid down by the down dim fire, and cuddled up close under their blankets. As they began to doze off, Charlie spoke up one last time. "I knew you weren't going to let me down."

At that moment, a feeling of dread came over Bass. He remembered their talk when he first got back from Vegas…

_"Charlie, I promise you, I am never going to let you down." "I…believe you."_

That was the first time he had ever felt like she put some of her faith in him. After that talk, he made a promise to himself…that he had yet to fulfill. He still hadn't told her of the promise he made to Connor: to recreate the Monroe Republic.


	19. Chapter 19: Charlotte & Sebastian, Pt 2

_Just a heads up, I updated the rating to M. I added a WHOLE LOT of fluff. Also, heads up for some more author's notes below. Enjoy!_

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Bass awoke first. It was already the afternoon. Being so close to Charlie was just making him feel even more guilty. He stood up and walked over to the lake. It was a gloomy morning. He thought the actual weather may be foreshadowing the events to come.

He hadn't gotten much sleep. He knew that what Charlie admitted to him last night was a huge deal. When he would tell her that he hadn't told her everything, she would feel duped. She would have every right to be angry. He just hoped he could convince her of his true intentions. He had only told Connor that he would re-create the republic, because he had to get him out of Mexico. Connor wanted to feel the glory of having such a massive empire. When Bass had promised him this, he knew exactly what Connor wanted, and he knew that he would never give that to his son for fear of him following the same path he did. He wanted to help Connor, not make things worse.

Thunder crashed in the sky. Charlie woke up at the sound. She rolled over to find that she was now alone. She sat up and spotted Bass at the lake. She got up and walked over to him. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and lightly kissed his shoulder.

He pulled away and turned to face her with a look of resentment on his face.

Charlie didn't know how to react. "You've changed your mind, haven't you," she asked as she backed away from him, nearly in tears again.

"No! No, I love you and that won't change." He was dreading what he was about to do.

"Then what's wrong?" Charlie hadn't the slightest idea of what he was about to tell her.

"There is something I have to tell you. You will probably hate me afterwards, but I need to be honest with you." Charlie looked terrified, which made this even harder for Bass to say. "When I went to Mexico to get Connor, he didn't come willingly. He said the only way he would come back is if we brought back the republic."

"What?" Charlie backed even farther away.

He took a step towards her, "It was the only way I could convince him to come back, but Charlie, there's more to it than that. Please…."

Before he could get another word out, she slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"How dare you let me open up to you like I did last night knowing that I didn't know this. You knew this was going change how I felt. You manipulated me. You took advantage of me." She backed away further realizing how stupid she felt.

"Charlie, let me explain!"

At that moment, thunder rolled in the sky again, and rain began to fall. Charlie ran back to their campsite, grabbed her pack. She ran as quickly as she could towards an abandoned shack at the other end of the lake. She had spotted it when they arrived yesterday. It hadn't looked too stable, so she hadn't wanted to go there when they arrived, but now with the rain and what Bass had told her, she was glad it was there.

Bass grabbed his sack and ran after her. Screaming her name as he chased her. It was now storming.

As they both ran through the woods, their vision became obscured by the rain. Charlie finally reached the shack, hoping she had lost Bass. It was more like a shed actually. When she opened the door, she saw that it was just one room, stripped almost completely bare except for some old candles and blankets.

For a moment, Bass thought he lost her, but then he spotted the shack that she had spotted the day before. With the rain, he hoped that'd be where she went. He threw open the door to see her huddled in a corner. She was sitting, hugging her knees, shivering, soaking wet, with tears streaming down her face. He grabbed the blanket from his sack and walked over to her.

"Stay away from me!"

"Charlie, just listen. I can explain."

"Bass, stop!"

"No! You're going to hear me out. I had no intention of following through on that promise I made Connor. I don't want that republic back."

Charlie sat very still, desperately hoping to make some sense of what was happening. "Then why would you promise him that?"

He knelt down in front of her. "Before Miles & I started the republic, I was married. I had a wife who died giving birth. Our child died too. That was one of the reasons we started the republic, as a way to help people. It only got worse, because I became an empty person. When I left for Mexico, I was searching for a way to right my wrongs. A chance to have what I lost before. A chance to be a different, better person…for you. I had obviously already begun to develop feelings for you, and I knew that I couldn't be what you needed or wanted. I saw how greatly you changed Miles, and you had started to do the same for me. As much as I hoped that you could help me as much as you helped him, it wasn't fair of me to ask that of you."

"So you were just using Connor to redeem yourself?" Charlie still thought he was being manipulative.

"No! I had been looking for him the moment I found out he was alive, long before you and I went to Willoughby. Obviously, I was disappointed that he was already becoming what I was in the past. He's extremely power hungry. I told him what he wanted to hear to get him to come with me. I wanted to help him, and I couldn't do that while he was still in Mexico. I don't want him to become what I was. I would never wish that on anyone."

"So you're not planning on bringing back the republic, but he doesn't know?" While she was thankful he hadn't fallen back into his ways, she still felt a little doubtful. She was also surprised to hear of Connor's true intentions.

"That's what I've been wanting to ask you. After we dismantle the patriots, we have two options. I would be happy either way, as long as you're happy and still with me. We can either all live a quiet existence, or we can continue to protect those who need protecting."

Charlie sat their silent, pondering what he had just proposed. Over the past 2 years, she had begun to feel responsible for those around her, especially those who couldn't see they were being used, even those she didn't know. That's why she was fighting the Patriots. To protect those who couldn't protect themselves. She realized that Bass was being honest, but was scared that if she allowed him to even try to bring back the republic, especially with a power hungry Connor, he might become General Monroe again.

Bass could see the doubt on her face. "Look, I know what you're thinking. You think I'm going to become General Monroe again."

She looked away, ashamed that she had lost faith in him so quickly. While she was disappointed he hadn't told her the truth from the start, she knew that him being this honest was a big step for him. He wouldn't have told her all of this if he hadn't meant what he was saying.

Bass continued, "Last time we started the republic, I was empty. Now, I've never been more at peace. I've found my son, and I've found you. If you'll still have me, I know I would make you proud. I would never fall back to that place again."

"You say that now, but what if something were to happen to Connor or I? Are you just going to resort back to your old ways like you did the first time?"

"I wouldn't be able to for fear of corrupting memories of both of you. If anything were to happen to either of you, I wouldn't let your demise turn me back into a monster. Not again. Not like I did last time. You both deserve better." He was pleading her with his eyes to believe him.

"You promise?" Charlie believed him, but she wanted him to fully commit to what he was saying.

"I swear on my life, I will do everything in my power to make you proud in both life and death. I will not let you down Charlotte."

She stood from the ground, and he followed. She took hold of his hands. "I believe you. Whole heartedly. But you have to tell Connor the truth as soon as we got back. No more lies."

"I was going to talk to him the other day, but with everything that had been happening, I'd been unable to get him alone. As soon as we get back, I will. I promise." He couldn't believe that she would forgive him for not telling her this sooner. He had never loved her more than in this moment.

"Then, where you go I go." Charlie believed him. She trusted him. She loved him.

He watched as she lifted his hands to her mouth and kissed them. When she lowered them, he took hold of her face with both of his hands. He kissed her, but it was much more passionate than the kisses they shared the night before. She wrapped her arms around his waist, but then he pulled away. He was scared to move too fast, and so was she.

"I think we should light some of these candles. It's going to be dark soon, and there aren't any windows." Charlie nodded in agreement. She walked over and closed the door as Bass began lighting candles around the room. This was nice, they both thought, and quite romantic. Once they had set up the room, they unpacked their things. They were both still soaking wet, and somewhat muddy from running in the rain.

"I'm going to go wash off in the lake real quick before it gets too dark," Bass said to her. He began heading to the door, when she spoke up. "Wait for me. I want to get this mud off me too."

Charlie followed him outside. It was already somewhat dark, and it was still raining lightly. They walked into the lake, and Charlie began to take her top off.

"Charlie, I think we should maybe leave our clothes on." He was nervous what he might do if he saw her undress.  
She smiled at him. "I'll leave on my bra and underwear, but I need to clean these clothes, Bass. You should clean your's too."

He grinned back at her. They both waited until they were fully submerged to undress. Once they cleaned off their clothes, the tossed them to a nearby rock.  
Charlie swam closer to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"What was that for?"

"Just a thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping this pure and honest. I can tell how much you care about me, and I want you to know I feel the same way. I want you know that I'm never going to give you up now."

"I'm yours?" Bass asked flirtatiously. He grabbed her hands under the water.

"You're mine, Sebastian." She replied. She pulled his arms around her bare waist.

He smiled, struggling not to unravel and push her to do something she may not want yet. "Sebastian? I like the sound of that." They couldn't stop smiling.

"Charlotte, you're mine too. I wish I could express to you just how much I love you. I just don't know if I can put it fully into words."

She loved it when he called her Charlotte. There was something about it that was so sincere. She was beginning to unravel. She wrapped her arms around his bare waist. "Then show me," she dared him.

That was it. He had come undone, and she had too. He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back with equal passion, their tongues colliding. They were awoken from their trance by the thunder tumbling in the sky.

Charlie spoke up, "I think we should get in side. The storm looks like it might get rough again."

Bass nodded in agreement. They walked out of the lake, both shivering as they collected their clothes. Bass grabbed ahold of Charlie's hand, and they quickly made their way back to the shed.

As they walked in, they were both giddy. Smiling & giggling. Not fully believing just how happy and how lucky they were. Bass closed the door after they had both gotten inside. Charlie stood shivering, but smiling, just staring at him. Bass grabbed a blanket off the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders. He grabbed another for himself. Charlie walked across the room to lay out her wet clothes. Bass did the same. They stood on opposite sides of the room.

Bass just stared at her, candle light flickering on her skin. "You are so beautiful."

She gave a timid smile. He had never said that to her before. No one had. She slowly began walking towards him.

Bass could sense what was about to happen. "Charlotte, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. This is enough for me."

When she reached him, she replied, "Sebastian, you get me like know one else does. I promise. I want this."

She dropped her blanket and grabbed his neck, pulling his mouth to hers. He immediately gave in to her. As she slowly dropped her hands to his back and moved her kisses down his neck, he dropped his blanket. He moved his kisses down her neck and shoulders. Their lips met again. As they did, Bass grabbed her bottom and lifted her to him. She responded by wrapping her legs around his waist. He turned them both and pressed her back against a wall. Their embrace was now much more intimate than it had ever been. Charlie pulled his hands behind her back to undo her bra. He pulled his lips away for just a moment.

"You're sure?"

She smiled again and wrapped her arms back around him. "I've never been more sure."

They kept eye contact as he slowly unhooked her bra. Each of their hearts were racing. As the straps fell off her shoulders, she slowly pulled it off. They remained staring into each other's eyes. He moved his hands back to her butt and carried to her a blanket that they had laid out earlier to sleep on. He knelt down, while still holding her, then lowered her to the ground. As she reached back to adjust her position, he got his first glimpse of her bare chest, now greatly anticipating what was about to happen. She grabbed his neck and pulled him down on top of her. They kissed even more passionately than before, each of them wanting more of the other. They rolled over so that Charlie was on top of him.

She sat up and smiled down at him. She wanted him badly. She leaned back down and kissed his chest, slowly moving down to his pelvis. When she reached his boxers, she moved backwards onto her knees and slowly pulled them off. He sat up, moving onto his knees. She reached for his hands and guided them to the waist band of her underwear. She moved her hands to his neck, still gazing into his eyes. He kissed her neck, then her shoulder, then her breasts. She smiled again. As he continued down her body, she adjusted her position so that she could lay back down. When she did, he was able to pull away her underwear. He laid back down on top of her.

With that, she opened her legs wider, and he pushed himself inside of her. They began moving back and forth slowly. This was more than just sex. They were making love.

"Bass," Charlotte moaned.

"Charlie," he moaned back.

They began to move a little faster, staring into one another's eyes. As they were both on the verge of finishing. "I want you," she whispered into his ear. "I want you more," he whispered back. Their movements intensified, and then they slowed abruptly.

He leaned down and gave her one more passionate kiss.

"I love you, Charlotte."

"I love you too, Sebastian."

He moved off of her and began to make his way across the room to grab some more blankets. It was getting cold, and he was sure she would want to get some rest.

She laid there watching him, not quite ready to go to sleep. She rose to her feet. "That's it?" She was grinning from ear to ear.

He walked back towards her and picked her up again. This time with more force. He smiled. "Not if you don't want it to be." She let out a small laugh as he pushed her against a wall. He thrust back inside her, and she let out another moan.

The rest of the night, they couldn't stop smiling. They were unable to keep their hands off each other.

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_So my final 5 chapters kind of extended into like 10, lol. There's no way I'll be able to finish them before the show now, but I think it's better that I wait. The story will be better, because I'll have more time. It probably won't be posted till Sunday, so I hope this chapter is able to hold you over till then. I know that some of this chapter was probably completely unrealistic. I mean I definitely think the interactions regarding the republic could happen, but everything else is probably a stretch, but one can dream, right? Also, I've never really written any intimate scenes before now, so I'm so sorry if it came off as totally awkward instead of intimate. If it did, someone please tell me, and we can work on a re-write, lol. Seriously though, I'd really like some feedback on this chapter specifically since it's so different than everything else I've written so far! Thanks again for reading, and look for more posts this weekend! :)_


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